Center Of Attention
by plastiscines
Summary: postD3. The Ducks have to prove themselves all over again when Eden Hall decides to take on another team: the Hawks. Meanwhile, Charlie has to go through the ups and downs of being a teenager. slash, CharlieAdam
1. prologue

**AN:** I'm a rookie when it comes to Ducks fic, but I got the idea in my head and it wouldn't leave me alone. This'll _eventually_ be CharlieAdam, with loads of Julie. The other Ducks will also feature. You won't find any OC's here seeing as I prefer to use the other Ducks rather than a random, and if there are, believe me, they definitely won't get any focus. Enjoy!

* * *

**Center of Attention**  
_prologue_

* * *

_  
there__'__s a party over here there__'__s a party over there, wave your hands in the air shake your derriere, these three words when you getting busy, whoop that ass, whoop that ass, whoop that--_

His hand shot out, reached for the phone on his night stand as it sang some more profanities, and slammed it against his ear. "What?"

"_You're late."_

Irritated, Charlie Conway managed to crack his eyes open as he stared at his alarm. It blinked **10:24** in huge, red numbers at him. "So?" he rolled onto his back, the phone crushed between his ear and shoulder blade.

"_You do realize it's Monday, right?"_

He scrunched his face in concentration, tried to think what she meant by that, before realization struck. He shot out of the bed at once.

"_Shit_, Gaffney, why didn't you call me sooner?"

He could almost see Julie roll her eyes on the other end as she commented, dryly_, "I don't know, class, maybe?"  
_  
He didn't answer her, instead began to rummage through his closets for something to wear. His eyes immediately landed on the green Duck jersey, hung on his chair. Charlie grinned, it would have to do.

He heard voices on the other end of the line before Julie cleared her throat, _"Adam said Coach is looking for you." _Great. This day kept on getting worse and worse. _"He said he told Orion you were sick. Coach didn't look convinced, he's probably going to check on you later."_

"Thanks, Cat. I gotta run," Charlie replied, hurriedly. He hung up before Julie could say anything else, shooting into the bathroom to get dressed. He ended up with his toothbrush into his mouth as he tried to fix his hair, before he decided to leave it. And then he stomped into the kitchen, his skates in hand, drinking some orange juice in less than three seconds. He didn't even see his mother's note on the door of the refrigerator, which plainly said, '_don't be late!_'.

And then he was outside, skating as though his life depended on it. He loved the feel of his wheels hitting the pavement almost as much as his skates on the ice, but he hardly had the chance to enjoy it. He was late, and not just late, but _late late. _He was in so much fucking trouble. It was with a twinge of nostalgia that he noticed he didn't have his usual Ducks at his sides, laughing and shoving as they made their way to Eden Hall. Well, there was always time for that later. 

* * *

"Charlie Conway," he breathed hard as the woman behind the desk looked at him from beneath thin glasses. She looked through some files before handing him a piece of paper. His schedule and, as he noticed at the top, his dorm number. It wasn't the same as last year, oddly enough. "Thanks," he managed to get out before he was off again, ignoring her cry of '_you can't skate inside_'.

He turned a left, almost went for a right, dodged a student—it was almost hockey, he thought, grinning.

"Banks, where the hell is Conway?"

Charlie froze, skidding to a halt as he saw his coach. Luckily, he was facing Orion's back. Adam, though, saw him. Charlie motioned with his arms for Banks to distract the man and Adam turned back towards Orion. "He's in here—hey, what's that?"

The way it was said had Charlie shoot his friend a look that plainly said '_what in the hell's name was that'_, astonished to see their coach actually turning to their side to see what Banks was pointing at. Charlie skated by them as quickly as he could; he counted the numbers until he saw his dorm and went inside just as Orion turned to glare into his direction.

"I don't see anything," Orion said, wondering what the hell his star player was up to.

"Oh," Adam said, lamely. It'd been the first thing that had come to mind. "Yeah, so. Anyway, Charlie's in here." He gestured behind him, two doors down. Orion bypassed him in long strides, obviously intent on catching their captain red-handed doing.. god knows what. But one thing was for sure, Orion didn't believe Conway was sick for even a second.

The door opened, Orion stepped in, and, much to Adam's surprise, there was Charlie, in bed, eyes shut. His chest was rising slowly, and, Adam thought, _for someone who was faking sleep, he was pretty damn good at it._

_"_Conway,_" _Orion didn't seem to agree. "What is this? Get up."

Charlie opened his eyes, then moaned for effect, his cheeks still flushed from skating so hard. Orion's expression softened, and then he put a hand to his player's forehead. "You're warm," he said, a bit disbelieving. "Guess Banks was right. Fine, stay in bed."

He turned towards Adam, "Banks, get back to class." And with that, he was gone.

Charlie kicked his covers off of him, revealing he was still wearing his skates. "Thanks, Banksie," he laughed, smirking at the look of irritation that flickered on his friend's face. He rested his arms behind his head, "You ought to get back to class, man."

Banks rolled his eyes. "You owe me one," he told his captain.

"Eat me, Banks," Charlie replied carelessly, scratching his nose as he saw Adam flip him off, something very un-Banksie like, as he left.

Charlie shrugged as the door closed, knowing Banks wasn't really pissed off at him. Still, he was right; Charlie did owe him. Eh, he'd figure something out.

First, he thought as he closed his eyes, was going to catch up on his well deserved rest.


	2. what goes around comes back around

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews! Here's another chapter.

* * *

**Center Of Attention  
**two_. what goes around comes back around_

* * *

Charlie yawned hugely as he sat down next to Fulton, who gave him a look that plainly said he was a lazy excuse for a human being. Charlie smiled, patted him on his back and then glanced over to Portman who was sitting a few seats down, next to Russ. It was good to have both Bash Brothers with them; he'd missed it.

"So what'd I miss?"

"A lot," Connie tells him from her usual seat next to Guy, who nodded almost absentmindedly. He was staring at something past Charlie, and, unable to help himself, Charlie turned into his seat. A bunch of kids wearing the Eden Hall Warriors logo (much like they'd done before, until they'd switched back to the Ducks, courtesy of their coaches) were sitting a few tables away. He noticed Adam with them, in conversation with someone. The guy looked surprisingly familiar.

"Who're they?" he asked as he turned back into his seat, taking a sip from Fulton's juice. He swallowed, ignored his friend's look and continued, "Why is Banksie with them?" He took another sip, if only to annoy Fulton some more.

"Hawks," replied Goldberg.

Charlie spat out his drink. Averman got hit. Julie blinked, warily. "That's the same reaction Goldberg had."

"What?" he hissed, turning in his seat so fast he almost knocked Fulton out of his. He stared at Adam's back, willing him to look at him. As though he'd felt Charlie's glare, Banks did, catching his eye. He wasn't the only one, as the guy next to him turned to see what Adam was looking at.

"_Larson_!" Charlie couldn't believe it when he recognized him. So it was true. Why the hell was Adam with the team who'd dumped him the minute he'd cleaned out his Hawks locker to join the Ducks? McGill had even shoved him against the goal's post. Adam had left the game with a concussion.

"Settle down, Charlie," Dwayne's reasonable voice echoed through his ears, and he glanced back towards the cowboy. "He got told to show 'em the ropes."

"Someone tell me what the hell I missed," Charlie mumbled, turning his back on the Hawks table. Or, rather, Eden Hall Warriors, JV. Once again he was reminded how glad he was to be able to remain a Duck.

Connie shrugged, "They were granted full scholarships, like us last year."

"But they're our age, so they're sophomores too. Coach Reilly pulled some strings to get them here. He'd tried to do it last year, too, but they choose us instead." Guy went on to explain, "Reilly asked the board whether Adam could help them settle in."

"Seems suspicious to me," Averman chirped.

"Yeah," Guy agreed. "They've all been acting as though Adam's on their team instead of ours. Decked Goldberg into his own locker when they passed him, but left Adam alone."

"Got a bruise the size of Mount Everest!" mumbled Goldberg, clearly irritated. "And we've only been back for twenty-four hours."

"What about Varsity?" Charlie took another glimpse at Banks, who'd turned back to talk to Larson, before he dragged his gaze to the other team. Varsity was bullying some kid. It looked like—shit.

Without another word, Charlie stood up from his seat. Fulton was quick to follow him, noticing it too. As they arrived, they could hear Scooter, "Leave him alone, Riley." Riley, however, merely laughed. He pushed Ken Wu into Charlie just as he was about to open his mouth. Charlie stumbled backwards at the sudden weight pushed into his chest, but Portman steadied him with a hand. At this moment, the entire Ducks team strolled up, standing behind their captain. All but one. "Look, it's the Ducks," Riley mocked, "Come to save their fallen comrade." He snarled at Kenny, who took another step back into Charlie in fear.

Riley suddenly smiled, looking past them. "Looks like a duck escaped the flock," he laughed, shoving past Charlie who scowled at him. His eyes trailed after Riley, hearing Scooter apologize to Julie in the background, before they settled on Adam. His scowl increased when he noticed Banks hadn't even moved and was simply staring at them.

_Whatever_, Charlie thought. Time for class, he'd talk to Banksie later.

* * *

Five classes and four and a half hours later, Charlie slid into his seat tiredly. It was his last class for today, English lit. Though Fulton usually sat by him, the Bash brother had opted sitting with his fellow brother instead. Charlie could hear them laugh some rows behind them. Banks walked in, then, with Larson by his side. Adam was even _smiling_. Ugh. Charlie didn't understand why the hell the two of them suddenly seemed so close. Had he missed something?

Larson nodded towards a seat in the back, obviously telling Adam to come sit with him. Charlie suddenly straightened, coughed in order to get Banks' attention, and then tapped his pencil on the desk next to him, indicating he wanted Adam to sit with him. After a slight hesitation, Adam smiled apolitically towards his former Hawks teammate and went to sit by his captain. Larson shrugged, but Charlie couldn't help but send him a smug grin.

And then he wasted no time in turning on Adam, "What the hell's Larson done to you, Preppy? Haven't seen you all day."

"Nothing. I'm just helping them get by."

"Just remember what team you're on, Banks."

Adam smirked, "You wouldn't allow me to forget."

"Damn right," Charlie murmured, though he exchanged a brief grin with his best friend, glad things were cool between them.

* * *

As soon as class was over, Charlie rose from his seat and, throwing a careless arm around Adam, began to steer him out the classroom. Banks gave him a look, but didn't argue. He'd see the Hawks later, if they had anything to say about it.

"The lost Duck has returned!" cried Averman, throwing his arms around Adam as the group of friends gathered. He began to sob dramatically, clutching to Adam's shirt as he sank to his knees. "Don't ever leave us again!"

Adam rolled his eyes good-humouredly as the rest laughed, "Get off me, Averman."

Averman stopped his little act and managed to pull himself upright, just as one of the Hawks slammed into his shoulder. Charlie had no idea which one it was, but the guy smirked at the rest of the Ducks, then inclined his head in acknowledgement towards Adam. Adam didn't return the greeting; instead he'd taken a hold of Averman to stop him from tumbling down.

"Who do they think they are?" Charlie heard Connie mutter behind him, "_Varsity_?"

"Forget about them," Julie replied, an arm around her friend, "We've got practice. Let's play some hockey."

* * *

Coach Orion started practice by allowing the Ducks to do their usual routine; have Dwayne round them up as though they were cattle. Connie shrieked as Dwayne skated towards her, and she quickly hid behind Adam, taking a hold of his shirt. "Go, go, go!" she called. Adam laughed and then began skating harder in order to avoid the lasso himself. After a while, Connie released the back of his shirt and slid over towards her boyfriend. Guy smiled at her, offered her his hand, and off they were again.

Charlie couldn't help but grin at the display, thinking back to his own girlfriend. Linda had shared only one of his classes, but he hadn't been able to talk to her seeing as Julie had pulled him along with her towards their next class. He hadn't thought much of it, too preoccupied with the Hawks, because he knew he'd see her later.

He saw Banksie skate near him and slowed down in order for him to catch up. "So, what's the deal with the Hawks?"

Adam gave him a look, "Didn't you ask me this about half an hour ago?" he replied, dryly.

Charlie shrugged, "Just looks like they're not gunning for you as much as us, man."

"I don't know," Banks shrugged, looking a little put out himself. "I guess Larson must have talked to them. We played some hockey together over the summer--"

"Wait, what?" Charlie frowned. This was news to him. "When the hell did this happen?"

"Probably when your tongue was down Linda's throat," Adam smirked. Charlie's arm flew above his head as he avoided it with a laugh. He sobered, "Larson visited. Said he was sorry."

"After four years?" Charlie snorted in disbelief. He rolled his eyes, "I don't believe it. They dropped you like a bad habit after you left the Hawks."

"Remind you of anyone?"

Charlie froze as he heard his friend's cool voice. He glanced back to Banks, who'd stopped skating. He, too, came to an abrupt halt, unaware the rest of the Ducks were watching them now.

"That was different," he spluttered, unable to come up with a better answer.

Adam smiled wryly, then shook his head. He began to skate again, passing Charlie. "No, it wasn't."

_"Damn it, Banks!"_

_"Get off me, Charlie!"_

_"How'd you like it, Banks."_

_"Yeah, nice take out, you'd be in the box!"_

"_Go cry to your rich parents!"_

Charlie snapped out of his daydream when he heard the whistle blow. He glanced at the ice, catching sight of Adam talking in hurried whispers with Julie, before he sighed and began to skate towards their coach.

It was going to be a long practice.


	3. closing walls and ticking clocks

**AN: **Another chapter! Thanks for the review, jnwrx1! Also, yeah, I do think two junior hockey teams are a bit too much, but hey, it's fiction! Anything goes. Kind of. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_3. closing walls and ticking clocks_

* * *

Julie discarded her shoulder pads in an abnormally slow pace, obviously taking her time as she avoided the heated glare sent her way. Any other time she would have left with Connie already, but Charlie kept giving her a look that plainly told her to stay put. Most of their team had gone already. Adam had smiled at her as he left, about five minutes ago. He hadn't even glanced at Charlie, she'd noticed dully. Connie was the last to leave, telling Julie she'd see her later as she took Guy's arm. Julie nodded at her, watching her until she couldn't hear Connie's chatter to Guy anymore. And then she began to count.

One, two..

"What's the verdict, Jules?"

He hadn't even made it to three. Yep, he was pissed.

Julie sighed as she kicked her shin pads aside and then stared up into the face of the captain. "Just let him do what he wants, Charlie. I don't see what's wrong with him spending time with the new team."

"They're Hawks!" Charlie protested. He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at her. "You weren't there, back when they made our lives a living hell."

"Adam was one of them," she countered, "And look at you now."

Charlie looked as though he wanted to say something, but she beat him to it. "He's still with the Ducks, Charlie. He's one of us, you said that."

"_JV and Varsity game is on Friday. Then we'll show the whole school what a joke you really are. Then maybe you'll leave on your own. It'd be the only honorable thing to do." Riley sneered._

_Riley's lackey spoke, "You know we're going to hurt you."_

_"Listen, you had an unfair advantage last time. You had one of us. Banksie."_

Julie shoved her hockey stick against his chest to make her point clear, trying to get his attention. "Now quit the whole high and mighty Captain Duck act. He's your best friend. Act like it." Bemusedly, she added, "I swear you didn't act like this when I first started seeing Scooter."

"Scooter's a decent guy," Charlie shrugged. He couldn't say the same for Larson. "Fine. But if they try something with the team.." he trailed off, looking a bit sour. He still wasn't happy with the arrangement, but he wasn't about to lose Adam to another team. Again.

"That's the spirit." Julie wasn't against showing the Hawks what the Ducks could do when being messed with. She was sure they could borrow a few more fire ants. "Now get out, I need to change."

Charlie laughed and, pulling her into a quick hug, he smiled against the side of her head. "I'll see you later, Cat."

"Not smelling like that, you won't! Didn't you take a shower?" He rolled his eyes, ruffling her hair playfully before he let go of her. Gathering his stuff, he walked out of the room to leave Julie in peace.

He had to talk to Adam. He just wasn't sure what to tell him. 'Hey, Banksie, I give you permission to hang out with the guys who shoved you against a post and nearly bashed your head in'? Yeah, that probably wouldn't work that well.

"Hey," Guy startled him out of his thoughts, leaning against a wall nearby. "Is Jules still in there? I need to talk to her about Connie's birthday."

"Yeah," Charlie nodded, distractively. Connie's birthday. Shit, he still had to get her a present. Another thing to deal with. He felt Guy pat his shoulder in a 'thanks' and head back into the locker room in search of Julie. Charlie was about to head back to his dorm when he frowned. Was there something he was forgetting?

A scream_. "Guy! What are you doing in here?"_

Oh, right.

A crash._ "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"_

And then.. _"CHARLIE!"_

Charlie laughed awkwardly as a random passerby stared at him. Time to leave.

* * *

Lying in his bed, Charlie stared up the ceiling as he thought back to his conversation with Julie. Guy, his roommate, was still out: probably hiding from embarrassment somewhere. He knew perfectly well he was going to get an earful when Germaine got back, but he didn't really care. He had to talk to someone else about the situation. Someone who would understand. Someone like.. _yes_!

He sat up quickly, taking his phone. His thumbs pressed in the numbers he knew by heart. As soon as he heard the voice on the other end, he sank back into his bed.

"Hey, man. Listen, I gotta talk to you."

* * *

He rolled onto his side when he heard his phone ring, accepting the incoming call. He yawned into the receiver, "Adam Banks."

"_Cake-eater."_

Adam smiled when he realized who it was, "Jesse. What's up?"

_"I don't know, man. You tell me. Spazway called, said he wanted to talk to me. Then he proceeded to sigh down the phone for about twenty minutes. Then Guy came in and he said he had to go."_

Adam groaned into his pillow in response.

_"Yeah, figured something was up."_ Jesse laughed at the other end, _"Only time Conway calls for a 'serious conversation' this late is when he can't talk to you about it. You didn't join Varsity again, did you?"_

"No. Hawks got accepted to Eden Hall, though."

_"You're shitting me,"_ came Jesse's astonished reply. Adam shook his head, despite knowing his friend couldn't see him. He also knew that, if there was someone on Charlie's side, it was Jesse.

"It's not like I invited them in. I know what they're like, I've been on their team. But Larson, he's different. Charlie's blowing it out of proportion."_  
_

"_It's Spazway. Of course he is. He's just worried about his team. Ducks--"_

"Fly together. Yeah, I know, Jess." Sometimes, Adam wanted to stab Bombay for that saying. "Doesn't mean I can't talk to other teams."

_"Yeah, but the Hawks? Come on, man. You know how they treated you."_

"Same way Charlie did," Banks replied easily. Jesse sighed at the other end. _"I'm not even on the team anymore and I have to deal with your drama. This is unfair, dude."  
_  
Adam grinned, "Ducks fly together."

_"Fuck you, man. Look, tell Conway to stuff it. Just look after yourself. I don't trust these guys."_

Portman walked in, then. Seeing as the Bash brother had joined later in the year, and Adam had switched teams, the two of them roomed together. Adam didn't mind, as long as Dean wasn't blasting the room with music in the middle of the night.

"Who's that?" Portman mouthed, nodding to the phone. "Jesse," Adam answered. Before he knew it, the phone was torn away from his hands and Portman was talking rapidly to his former teammate, using his hands in big gestures.

Back to bed it was.

* * *

"Sorry."

Adam wondered whether he was hearing voices until he glanced to his left and noticed Charlie standing there. How had he snuck up on him like that? "What?" he asked, confused.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Don't make me repeat it, Preppy." He sat down into the seat next to Adam with a _plop. _It was the next morning; people were talking animatedly as they had breakfast. "I overreacted. If you want to talk to them, fine. I don't want to fight with you, man. Too tired."

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Adam asked in response, basically telling him to forget about it. Charlie nodded, "Guy kept mumbling in his sleep. Something about walking in on Jules. I forgot she was changing, okay? Give me a break." He rested his head into his arms and looked as though he was about to fall asleep until a newspaper hit him in the back of his head. Without looking up, he groaned. "Thanks, Jules."

"You're welcome," Julie replied, walking past them. Adam watched how she tapped Scooter on his shoulder, who then embraced her and had her sit with him, before he caught sight of someone else. He jabbed Charlie into his side. "Linda's coming."

"Huh?" Charlie looked up immediately. "Where?"

The girl in question answered him by kissing him softly on his cheek. "Hi," she smiled as she sat down next to him. "Hey, Adam." Adam nodded at her in recognition.

Charlie grinned at her. He wondered whether he looked like a loon while doing so. Adam's amused expression answered that question, but then he turned away from them. Charlie wondered whether he wanted to give them some privacy before he noticed Adam's attention had wavered towards Larson and McGill. He watched Larson nod towards them – or more like, towards Adam – and Banks smiling in return. And gone was his inane grin.

"Charlie? Are you listening to me?" Charlie averted his eyes from Adam to stare into the kind ones of his girlfriend. He smiled gently, "Sorry. I was spacing out."

"About the new team?" Linda enquired, "Eagles, or something?" Charlie snorted, and Linda's cheeks tinged pink. "Hawks," he corrected her, although smiling. "Yeah, I guess. How'd you know?"

"I heard something about it from Julie when she was busy ranting to me about my perverted boyfriend."

"It was an accident!" Charlie hollered, to which Julie, who sat a few tables away, looked up to stick her tongue out at him. Charlie noticed Banks trying to stifle his laughter and quickly hit him in the side with his elbow to shut him up. "And besides, it was Guy who walked in on her!"

"No thanks to you," Guy's voice floated from somewhere behind him before he and Connie sat down opposite them. Connie looked as though she might burst out in laughter anytime soon, winking at Charlie when he scowled at her. Clearly, she wasn't as bothered as her boyfriend and best friend.

"So, Linda had the great idea to check out this new place that just opened downtown. For my birthday." Connie began to babble about her sixteenth birthday as Charlie glanced at his girlfriend, who was nodding along to whatever Connie was saying excitedly. He thought it was great his friends had come to accept her. Some of them still had trouble adjusting to Scooter, but Linda had fit right in. Connie and Julie especially had taken a liking to her.

_Life doesn't get any better than this_, he thought happily, as he wrapped an arm around Linda's shoulders. She smiled at him, leaning in for a kiss when--

"Hey."

_And I stand corrected_, Charlie thought sourly as he saw Larson. He withdrew from Linda to see what the Hawk wanted. Larson smiled at them, a bit awkward, and Charlie wondered where Adam got the idea he'd changed from. He still looked like a greasy slime ball with the stupidest haircut he'd ever seen.

"Conway?" Larson stared at him oddly. Charlie blinked, "What?"

"I asked whether the Ducks were up for a rematch. After class?" Larson offered him a hand to shake on it.

Charlie looked around the table. Guy nodded at him, telling him he was up for it. Connie looked a bit dubious but smiled encouragingly when his gaze landed on her. Portman and Fulton (where'd they come from?) were also giving him the thumbs up. Finally, he looked at Adam, the question of whether they should resting in his eyes. Adam shrugged, telling him he didn't mind either way.

"Yeah, sure," Charlie smirked, taking his offered hand. He squeezed a bit harder than necessary. "Why not?"


	4. the whole world revolves around you

**AN: **Another chapter. I'm on a roll. Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_4. the whole world revolves around you_

* * *

5-4.

Charlie stared at the puck as it hit the net. He didn't even hear the celebration going on behind him. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he realized what had happened.

They'd lost.

"Good game," said the voice, and Charlie looked at Larson, who'd left his cheering team to offer him a hand. Charlie stared at it, as though he didn't know what a handshake was. He was seething with anger. He glared at the hand as though it offended him and slammed his shoulder into Larson's side. Larson stumbled backwards, and Charlie was glad to see the hand went down to his side before he turned on his skates and headed into the locker room.

He was furious with the team. He was furious with himself. He'd scored a goal, as had Connie, and the last two had been scored by Banks, but that didn't take away the fact they'd played like shit. He tossed his helmet onto the ground in a burst of anger, dropping his stick.

"Charlie," Dwayne began, but Guy held up a hand, saying he shouldn't continue. He knew Charlie didn't want to hear it right now.

Adam, though, didn't care. "You could have shaken his hand," he said as he entered the room. Charlie, who'd just sat down, immediately jumped up again to glare at his friend. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Adam rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to argue, but Charlie had found his victim for today. He held his ground, "It's called sportsmanship."

"If you care so much, why don't you shake his hand?" Charlie snapped, "Hell, go celebrate with them, for all I care! You'd fit right in, Cake-eater." At seeing Banks' eyes darken, he knew he'd gone too far, but he was too angry to care.

The room was filled with tension as the two stared each other down. Finally, Adam shook his head as he turned away. "This is getting old, Charlie," he said plainly. Charlie opened his mouth to retort, but found he had nothing to say. He was right. Instead, he sighed and began to change.

* * *

"I don't see what's so good about him."

Julie wondered whether she would sustain enough injury to escape Charlie's whines if she bashed her head against the table. She blew some strands of hair out of her face as she prodded her dessert with a fork. Adam had opted to sit with Larson again and, of course, Charlie had been moaning about it all throughout dinner. Most of their team had already left, leaving her, Connie and Guy with Charlie. Luis was pawing Mindy at a nearby table.

"I mean, come on. He's a Duck, he should sit with us. Why is he with Larson?" _No one cares_, Julie wanted the scream at him. None of the other Ducks minded Adam sitting somewhere else, though the old Ducks were a bit wary of the Hawks. None of them acted like Charlie, however.

And then, because he obviously didn't have enough to complain about, Charlie turned around to look at his teammates and exclaimed, "Does anyone even know his first name?"

Julie shrugged. She didn't care.

"Billy." Everyone turned to Connie, who'd answered. Upon seeing all eyes on her, Connie blinked. "What? I was bored this summer, so I hung out with Adam. You know, Guy, while you were in Spain with your family? Larson came over a few times."

"You hung out with Larson?" Charlie snarled. This was news to him.

"You hung out with Adam?" Guy asked. This was news to him.

"I hung out with Scooter." Julie muttered. This was news to no one.

"Yes. What? It's not a big deal. He's actually quite funny, Billy, I mean, he told me this joke--"

"Traitor." Charlie slumped into his seat as he interrupted Connie, obviously sulking. "Why didn't you call me? I could have hung out with you."

"Yeah." Guy had an odd look on his face.

"You were busy with Linda. What's the big deal? Geez." Connie suddenly wished she hadn't said anything.

"Where's Linda anyway?" Julie tried to change the topic. "Haven't seen her today."

"No idea." And Charlie went back to sulking.

* * *

Practice the following day was brutal. Once Orion had heard of their match against the Hawks, he'd seen red. For a moment, it was the return of Captain Blood v. 2, but Charlie knew that he meant well. This time. As their coach ordered them all to do laps before they hit the showers, Charlie stared at the back of Adam's head. Usually, they would skate near each other during laps, discussing whatever came to mind at the moment. _Not this time_, he thought sulkily.

"Moreau!" Orion shouted, "Pick up the slack." Charlie looked behind him to see Connie, her head cast down as she skated behind the rest slowly. He frowned, what was up with her? She hadn't been performing at all this practice. He noticed Guy near him and tried to catch his eye to ask what's up, but Guy passed him without as much as a glance. After a while, Charlie realized Guy wouldn't look at anyone.

"Guy broke up with her," Julie whispered, noticing his look. He waited until the goalie was beside him before he shrugged, "Don't they always break up?" It was true; the two of them had broken up more times than he could remember. They always got back together the next day.

"It's different. They usually argue before. Everything was going well this time. He just walked up to her after class and said they were over." Julie looked troubled for her best friend. Charlie looked back at Connie again, making a mental note to talk to her later. He nodded towards Julie as thanks for telling him and she smiled half-heartedly before she skated towards Connie.

A sudden force slammed into his shoulder and Charlie nearly fell over, though was able to balance himself on time. He scowled, looking for whoever did it. His scowl only increased when he noticed Banksie skating away from him without as much as a 'sorry'. _If that's how you want to play it, Banks,_ _fine_, Charlie thought. At once, he sped up, and it didn't take long before he'd passed Adam. He looked over his shoulder and smirked. Adam didn't disappoint, he began skating faster too. Soon, the two of them were shoulder to shoulder as they tried to outskate each other.

Orion watched his best players with growing fascination. The other Ducks had slowed down, watching them curiously. Charlie wasn't aware of it at all. He just wanted to beat Adam in a game only the two of them were aware they were playing.

A whistle blew, but the two of them did not stop. The rest of the team watched them for another minute before they all began heading into the locker room. Orion was about to call out for the two remaining on the ice, but Julie shook her head. "They have issues," she shrugged. Orion raised a subtle eyebrow at her, but she did not explain further. After one more glance, he left.

Charlie's legs were screaming at him to stop, but his willpower overpowered everything. He wouldn't stop, he couldn't stop until he'd beat Adam. He wanted to prove that he could. Adam might be the star player, but he was the heart of the team. He had to win.

_Faster, faster, I need to go faster._ He wasn't sure what happened next, but before he knew it, he felt a sharp jab into his side and he fell down, sliding over the ice. As soon as he'd stopped, he looked over towards Adam, only to see he'd fallen down too.

They'd tied.

He watched as Adam climbed to his feet after a while. Charlie found that he couldn't, his legs too tired. When Adam passed him, he looked down at Charlie with an unrecognizable look in his eyes. "I'm a Duck, I always will be." he told Charlie, breathing harder than normal due to their little competition. "But you're making it really hard for me to be your friend."

Charlie swallowed hard, and then nodded once in understanding. He didn't expect the outstretched hand Adam offered him. With a grateful smile, he took it. As Adam helped him up, the pair stared at each other. Charlie had never really noticed how blue his eyes were until now, unable to look at them any longer. He discarded his eyes and after a few seconds, Adam pulled back his hand and began to skating towards the locker room.

Charlie sighed as he murmured, "Heart of the team my ass. You really know how to fuck things up, Conway."

He had to make it up somehow. Again.

* * *

"Connie!"

Connie raised her head to see who'd called her name. Upon seeing Charlie, she smiled. The smile didn't reach her eyes though. This troubled Charlie. "Walk with me?" he asked, to which she nodded. He fell into step with her and the two of them walked silently towards their dorms. Finally, not able to keep quiet, he turned towards her. "What happened, Con?"

At once, tears sprang into her eyes. "I don't know. He walked me to class this morning, like he always does. I told him about my summer. I went to a couple of movies with Adam. Told him Larson came with us, once. And then his entire demeanor changed." Though he wasn't happy to hear his oldest friend had gone to the movies with Larson, he didn't stop her. Connie dabbed at her eyes, not wanting him to see her cry. "And then, after class. He just walked up to me. Said he wanted to see other people."

She turned towards him. "I don't understand, Charlie. I mean, I know we fight, but we always make up. I've been in love with him since I was fucking ten, for God's sake!" Charlie took a step back as she raised her voice, anger replacing her sadness. She looked as though she wanted to hit someone.

Not sure what to do, Charlie wrapped an arm around her shoulders. At once, Connie buried her head into his side. He stroked her hair, wondering what to do to make her feel better. "It'll be alright, Cons." It was all he could offer her. Connie sighed, then looked up at him and smiled.

"Got a fling on the side there, Conway?" came a sudden voice, laughing. "Cheating on your girlfriend with your own teammate's girl. Nice one." McGill walked past them with another laugh.

"Connie, are you okay?" It was Larson. Charlie instantly tightened his hold on Connie, who smiled bravely. "Yes, I am. Thanks, Billy."

Larson nodded once to her, giving Charlie an odd look, before he followed his friend. Charlie hesitated for a moment, before he released Connie and took a step towards the Hawk. "Larson?" he called out, determination set on his face.

Larson turned back around, his face emotionless. "Yeah?"

"We're celebrating Connie's birthday this weekend." He paused, grinding his teeth. It was taking everything for him to continue. "You want to come? You can bring some Hawks, I mean, friends with you, if you'd like."

Larson wasn't the only one surprised. Connie was looking at him as though she was seeing him in a different light, before she smiled. "Adam would like it." she said, encouragingly. Charlie rolled his eyes but didn't disagree.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds good." Larson smiled, "Thanks, Conway."

"Adam will give you the details." Charlie replied, nodding. He then began to steer Connie away.

"Are you feeling okay, Charlie?" Connie jokingly pressed a hand against his forehead. He swatted it away. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, Velvet Hammer." He avoided her hand trying to hit him as he used the nickname Averman had once bestowed upon her. The two of them continued their banter all the way back to the dorms, though Charlie's mind was on one thing—or one person—only.

_I better not regret this, Larson._


	5. u r a fever

**AN: **This is mostly a Guy chapter, though it does set some things up for the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
5._ u.r.a fever_

* * *

_It was cold. He'd never felt so cold. The streets were foggy, as though the sun was just about to rise. But the sun was already high in the sky, giving the impression that it couldn't be morning. It had to be early or mid afternoon. But, why was it so cold?_

_He suddenly saw his mother. He smiled, happy to see a familiar face. "Mom," he called out to her, but she didn't seem to hear. She walked right on past him, didn't even notice him. He frowned. "Mom?" Again, she didn't respond. Instead, she got into her car. It looked like she was going to do some grocery shopping._

_"Wait, mom, I'll come with you!" he called out as he tried to grasp the handle of the car's door. His hand went straight through it. The car's engine roared to live and, within seconds, it was driving away from him._

_That was weird. He watched as the car began to turn left when, suddenly, another car crashed right into it. Charlie watched, horrified, as the other car kept on driving, taking his mother's car with it as it tried to flee the scene. His mother's car looked horrible, dented everywhere. "Mom?" he called out, knowing he wouldn't get a response. He began to run towards the scene, after the two cars. "Mom! Mom!"_

"Charlie? Charlie, wake up, man."_ He heard a voice, but it definitely wasn't his mother's. He didn't stop running as he screamed again._

_"Mom!"_

_

* * *

_"Charlie, wake up." He felt someone kneel beside him, and then there was a hand in his hair, comfortingly. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids struggled against his body's weariness, fighting to stay closed. Finally, he managed to get one of them open, but then there was another problem: everything was blurry. He couldn't make out anything except for a head full of brown hair. Was that..

"Connie?" he croaked, a little startled at his own voice. He could see Connie's mouth move, but suddenly couldn't hear her. All he could make out was 'fever'. _You're not making any sense, _he wanted to tell her, but all that left his lips was a loud groan. He didn't feel good. He didn't feel good at all.

"Charlie," he finally heard another voice, this time more masculine. His mind instantly registered the voice as Adam's. "It's okay. Go back to sleep." Charlie wanted to say no, but he was too drowsy. Sleep. Sounded good to him.

And he closed his eyes again.

* * *

"He was calling out for his mother," Guy whispered in a low tone, trying his best not to wake up his roommate again. "I didn't know who else to call." He looked over towards Connie, who smiled softly at him, almost shyly. Guy suddenly wanted to kick himself for ever breaking up with her. She was amazing, what the hell had he been thinking? He glanced at Adam, who sat near Connie, looking at Charlie intensely. Oh, right, that's what he'd been thinking. He felt a sudden wave of jealousy as he noticed their closeness. Adam Banks. His fellow Duck. His.. rival?

Before Adam, it had been him, Charlie and Connie. They'd grown up together, they'd started playing hockey together. And then Adam had joined, and Charlie had drifted. Found himself a new best friend. Guy hadn't been bothered, he knew he'd always be Charlie's friend, and he still had his Connie. But then, to hear she'd been spending time with Adam too? He'd been afraid to lose her. So he broke up with her. _Good job, Guy._ Broke up with the girl who'd been the most important to you. Now he'd definitely lost her.

But Adam wasn't interested in her that way, was he? A sudden fear struck Guy at the mere thought. He'd never shown interest in her before, but that was because she'd been with him. What if Adam would ask her out, now that Guy was out of the picture?

_You're such a dumbass, Guy. _He shook his head, looking back at Charlie. He had no time to think about this now. Charlie was the one who needed his attention, he couldn't think about his fears of Adam and Connie. He frowned as he watched his Captain breathe heavily. Charlie looked as though he was stuck in a nightmare, trashing about heavily. His cries for his mother had woken Guy up, who hadn't been able to wake him. In panic, he'd gone to the first person that had come into his mind: Connie. Connie had been quick to rush into their room. When she hadn't been able to calm Charlie down, she'd requested he'd get Adam. Guy had been confused at first and, again, a little jealous. But he'd gone anyway.

_"Adam," he banged on the door, not caring who heard him. "Adam!" Somewhere, in the back of his head, something told him to get the Coach, but he ignored it. It was the middle of the night, Charlie was probably only having a nightmare, he couldn't wake Coach up for that._

_The door opened and Adam came into view, looking sleepy and more than a little irritated. "What?"_

_"Charlie," Guy tried to explain, a little breathless. He was high on adrenaline. Adam's look of annoyance only increased when Guy said Charlie's name, but Guy continued nonplussed, "Something's wrong."_

_The look of irritation faltered. "What?"_

"_Just come with me."_

Adam had, and here they were. The combined efforts of Connie and Adam had calmed Charlie down, if only for a while. Guy was glad they hadn't panicked like him.

The unclosed door suddenly opened wider, and in came Julie, still wearing her pajamas like Connie. "What's going on?" she asked, sleep evident in her voice. "I heard you leave, Con, and.. what's wrong with Charlie?"

"He has a fever." Connie said, worry etched into her pretty face. "I don't think I've ever seen him sick. Not like this."

Adam finally spoke, taking his eyes off of Charlie. Guy could clearly see the worry in them. "Why don't you girls go back to sleep?" he whispered quietly. "We'll look after Charlie." He gestured towards Guy and himself.

"Are you sure?" Julie spoke at the same time as Connie, who protested heavily with a loud, "No!". Both girls looked dubious to leave.

"I'm sure, I'll call Coach later." Adam suddenly began to smirk, "I'm pretty sure he'd get the wrong impression. Three guys and two girls in the same room." Connie smacked his arm as she rolled her eyes. Julie noticed Guy avert his. He obviously didn't want to see their playful banter.

"Okay. But call us if anything changes, okay?" Julie piped up. She helped Connie to her feet and, with a last look at Charlie, both girls left the room as quietly as they'd come.

"You should go back to sleep too, Guy," Adam instructed, looking back towards his friend. He stood up from his seat on the floor near Charlie's bed and sat himself down on a nearby chair. Guy hesitated, glanced towards his bed before he shook his head. "Nah, man. I'll help you watch over him."

If Adam was surprised at his determination, he didn't show it. Instead he smiled, almost thankfully. "Okay."

Guy sank onto his bed, and the two of them began to watch their friend. It was going to be a long night for all three of them.

* * *

Charlie blinked several times as he awoke from a deep slumber. Though his vision was bleary, he sat up. A little too quickly, it seemed, as dizziness overtook him. After a while, both his vision cleared up and the dizziness wore off, and he took in his surroundings. At once, he saw the sleeping figure of his best friend, slumped into a chair. Adam looked like a mess, from his unruly hair to the wrinkled sweatpants he was wearing.

"Charlie, you're up!" Guy exclaimed, heading out of the shower. After the ant fiasco last year (The Ducks still proclaimed to be innocent) they'd installed showers in the dorms. That way, no one would have to run through the halls screaming about fire and ants in an attempt to get to the showers.

"Yeah," Charlie replied, groggily. He eyed Guy, who was wearing nothing but a towel slung around his hips, and then Banks, who was shirtless, too. "Why is everyone naked?"

Guy smiled, "Feeling better, huh?" At seeing his friend's confused look, he continued, "You had a fever last night, man." He nodded towards Adam and gestured at himself, "_We_ had to stay up to make sure_ you_ were sleeping like a baby."

Yeah, that wasn't embarrassing at all. Charlie groaned, "You didn't have to," he told Guy stubbornly.

"Yeah, we did. You were out of control, screaming for your mother."

Charlie frowned, wondering why. He really couldn't remember a thing. He could vaguely recall his mother in a dream, but that was it. He eventually smiled gratefully, "Thanks."

Guy shrugged, "That's what friends are for." He collected some of his clothes and headed back to their (very small) bathroom to get dressed. Charlie thought about what he'd said and then nodded to himself. That's what friends are for indeed. He knew he'd do the same for any of his.

He stared at the spot Guy had stood trying to collect his memory of last night, but nothing came to him. He did feel as though he was going to be sick, though. Finally, he dragged his gaze back onto Adam's sleeping figure, only to see blue eyes instead of closed eyelids.

He smiled awkwardly, "Hey."

Adam looked him once over, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I think."

"Good," Adam offered him a small smile. "Up for class?"

Charlie instantly paled, much to Adam's amusement. He then began to groan, "The_ pain_! It hurts. It hurts so bad, Banks."

Adam rolled his eyes as he discarded the blanket that lay on his lap. Guy must have put it on him when he'd fallen asleep. He made a mental note to thank him. "I'll see you later, Charlie."

"Adam, wait." Charlie was quick to shoot out of bed, a mistake on his part. He swaggered to the left and probably would have fallen down had Adam not taken a hold of his arm to steady him. He helped Charlie sit back down and then lifted a palm to his forehead. It was still warm. "You should lie back down," Adam instructed, but Charlie shook his head and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry, okay? I know I've been saying that a lot. But I am. You're my best friend." He suddenly realized how true his own words were. He had been saying sorry a lot, ever since Hans' funeral, after their street puck match when he'd apologized to Adam for being such an asshole. Maybe Larson was the better friend after all.

There was a slight hesitation and Charlie dreaded the reply he'd get. Finally, Adam shrugged. "It's fine, Charlie." Before he could say anything else, Guy came back in. He wiped an imaginary tear away from his eye, "That was great. I could really feel the love there, Charlie. _I'm sorry, you're my best friend, Adam, please don't leave me!" _Charlie glared at him, but Guy ignored it as he spread his arms. "Group hug!" he exclaimed, in a very Averman-like fashion.

"And I'm out," Adam said quickly, evading Guy's arm as tried to walk out of the room backwards. "Good luck with that over there, Charlie." He nodded towards Guy and then smirked at his idiot of a friend.

The last thing he heard before he closed the door was Charlie's whine of, "Get away from me, Germaine!"


	6. bully

**AN: **Okay, I lied. This was going to be a Charlie chapter, dealing with some family issues, but I suddenly felt the urge to write about Larson! It's funny, because in Charlie's view, he's the bad guy. In Larson's, Charlie is the idiot.

Also, I wanted to thank** 8JbFbAbM9** for the review! It really made me smile, and is the reason for me posting the next chapter! Thanks.

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
6. _bully_

* * *

"What're you doing here, Billy?"

Larson smiled at his old friend as he saw Adam skate towards the side, coming over to talk to him. He'd heard the whistle blow, so he guessed they were on a break. Adam mirrored his smile as he teased, "Jules is over there, if you want to talk to her."

And the smile dropped. "Remind me to never tell you shit again."

Adam laughed, removing his helmet. He reached for a water bottle. Larson could easily make out the 'Conway' tag on it. Obviously, Banks didn't mind fleas. Though Larson had made a mental note to play nice and try to be civil to Conway, this didn't mean he couldn't make fun of Captain Duck in private.

"You're an easy target, Larson."Adam chided, and Larson took a moment to glare at him. He thought back to their first day at Eden Hall, when Connie had given him some kind of half wave in recognition. Her boyfriend hadn't seen it, but the girl walking next to her had. She'd watched Larson curiously, then smiled. Larson had thought she was pretty. Unfortunately for him, he'd said it out loud and Adam had overheard.

After laughing for what seemed like centuries, Adam had coughed into the direction of some guy wearing the Varsity jersey, "That's her boyfriend." And they'd never spoken of it again. That is, until now.

"So, what're you really doing here?" Adam finally asked.

"Wanted to ask about Moreau's birthday. Where is it being held?" Adam's expression instantly became confused, and he turned to look at someone who was wearing the number #18. Larson remembered the number and knew it was Moreau, talking to number #6, who he figured was Gaffney. Turning back around, Adam looked none the wiser. "Conway didn't tell you?" Larson finally asked, realizing why his friend looked nonplussed.

Adam shook his head, "Nah. He's been sick, didn't leave his bed until it was time for practice."

Larson was impressed. He'd figured Conway would brag about it the first chance he got. "Conway invited me."

Adam looked pleasantly surprised, "Really?"

"Yeah. Said I could bring--" Larson abruptly stopped in mid-sentence when he noticed Conway was making his way over towards them. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he saw the arm thrown around Adam's shoulders a few seconds later.

"What's up, Larson?" he asked, and Larson could hear Charlie's voice strain, as though he was trying his best not to raise his voice and tell him to get lost. _He probably wants to_, Larson thought. _After all, he considers Adam to be his precious little Duck._ He was still surprised about the offer to attend Moreau's birthday. He guessed Adam had something to do with it.

"Just asking Adam about Moreau's birthday." he replied, trying to keep his voice even. If Captain Duck could make the effort, so could he, right?

"Yeah," Adam turned towards his friend, smiling. "Thanks." Larson knew he meant the invite Conway had extended.

Charlie shrugged, not bothering to withdraw his arm from Adam as he took his helmet off. He searched for his water bottle until he noticed it was in Adam's hand. He glared at his friend, but Adam remained blissfully unaware as he drank from it. Charlie coughed. Adam didn't cease drinking. Charlie's eye twitched. Adam finally looked at him, still drinking. Larson watched on with amusement when Charlie finally snatched the bottle right from Adam's mouth and drank whatever water had remained. Adam caught Larson's eye and grinned subtly, telling him he'd done that on purpose. "So," Charlie discarded his now empty water bottle, leaning into Adam as he regarded Larson with cool eyes. "Where's McGill? Thought you two were joined at the hip."

_Look who's talking_, Larson wanted to say, while Adam not-so-subtly elbow Charlie into his side. "Nah. He's with King today. We take turns." He replied, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

Charlie snorted, "Bet you do." As expected, Adam elbowed him again.

There was a yell of 'Charlie!' and the three looked over to see a girl waving. Charlie finally removed his arm from Adam and skated over towards her without as much a bye.

"Nice ass, Conway!" Larson shouted, smirking when he noticed Charlie stumble forward in surprise. Conway managed to catch himself before falling just in time and turned to glare at him. Larson kept his face completely serious as he winked. Charlie turned red and quickly looked away.

Adam sighed, exasperated. "I wish you'd get along. For my sake."

"We get along," Larson lied, smoothly. "I just like to rile him up. He looks funny when he's angry."

Seeing Adam's glare, Larson knew his friend did not agree. He shrugged, "You're lucky I didn't comment on the arm around you, man. Looked like he was about to drag you off somewhere private." The look that came across Adam's face was hilarious, so he continued, grinning widely, "Or his interest in McGill. I could set them up if he wants."

"I did not just hear that," Adam groaned, the image flashing before his eyes. Not something he wanted to imagine. He shook his head quickly, trying to get rid of it. "Charlie's as straight as they come, man. That's his girlfriend over there." Banks nodded over towards the girl Charlie was leaning into.

"Really?" She was pretty, Larson had to admit. He smirked nonetheless, teasingly. "He looked more interested in you."

Before Adam could reply, #00, Germaine, shouted at their captain. "Charlie! Come on, man." Larson watched as an apologetic look came across Conway's face. The girl he was with looked irritated, but smiled quickly. Within seconds, she'd left, and Charlie was back on the ice. "C'mon, Banksie," he hollered, waving Adam over.

"See?" Larson smiled innocently as Adam gave him a look that plainly said he was pushing it. Finally, he laughed, "Now who's the easy target?"

Adam shook his head, "Gotta go. I'll talk to you about Connie's birthday later." With a nod, he skated off to rejoin his team just in time for their coach to announce a scrimmage. He turned around to shout at Larson, who'd just been about to leave. "Have fun with McGill and King!"

Though he couldn't see it, Larson knew Adam was grinning behind the helmet he'd put back on. In a rather bold move, Larson gestured to his crotch area and yelled, "Suck it, Banks!"

He was met by stares from the coach and his team.

_Yeah, time to go._

* * *

"Billy?"

Larson looked up from his empty tray, catching sight of Moreau standing near him, shyly. She looked a bit awkward, her eyes flickering towards the seat next to him once a while as she held a tray with food. It was strange to see the girl he knew to be quite tough act all nervous. He eventually scooted over, uncaring if any of his teammates saw him with a Duck. "Wanna sit?" he offered. Connie smiled gratefully and did.

Not awkward at all, sitting with the girl you used to bully. Noticing she wasn't eating, he looked at her wringing hands. "Not hungry?" he asked after some silence, to which she shook her head. "Where's the rest of your team?" he tried to start the conversation again, but Connie merely shrugged. _You're not helping me, Moreau,_ he thought.

After a minute or two, Connie finally turned to him, determination set in her eyes. "Do you think I'm attractive?"

"What?" Larson wondered if he'd heard her wrong. Connie quickly looked away, "Never mind."

And so they sat in another silence. Finally, he turned sideways so he could take a better look. "Yeah," he answered confidently, though he was about five minutes late. Surprise flitted across Connie's features, but she began to smile.

Something like pride filled him as he saw the way the corners of her mouth had lifted. He'd been able to make her happy and it felt pretty damn good. Larson was about to turn back into his seat when he felt two hands take a hold of his face, and a set of soft lips pressed against his own. It took him a while to realize that _Moreau was kissing him_.

Before he could react, there was a cough behind them. Connie quickly broke free and stared at the intruder, and Larson blinked a few times before he followed her gaze to see Gaffney.

"Sorry to interrupt," Julie looked embarrassed, "But Charlie.." she trailed off, looking towards Larson. He immediately knew she didn't want to tell Connie the news with him there. Connie, at hearing Conway's name, instantly jumped up from her seat. Larson wasn't sure whether it was because she wanted to get away from him, or because it was about Charlie. Seeing her worried features, he figured it was the last.

What made Captain Duck so special he had to ruin everything?

"Bye," Connie muttered softly to him, and again, before he could do anything, the two of them had left.

"Bye," he replied lamely, though she'd gone already.

"What the fuck was that?" Larson cringed when he recognized the voice of someone who he'd known for most of his life. He didn't even have to see McGill's face to see he was angry. McGill snarled, "What's going on with you, man? Ever since we got here, you've been acting different."

Larson didn't reply, instead he rose to his feet and looked into McGill's face, challengingly. "Leave it alone, McGill."

McGill leant in closer, snarling. He clenched a fist and raised it. "Stay away from the Ducks, Larson."

"You don't mind Adam sitting with us," Larson retorted. McGill opened his mouth to speak, but Larson cut him off. "I know you still have that picture of us, McGill." he spoke, quietly. McGill blanched, his fist lowering. Larson continued, "Of you, me and Adam. Taken after we won our first peewee game."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Larson ignored him, "Maybe if you'd fucking apologize and tell him what a moron you are, he'd talk to you."

"I don't give a shit, Larson." McGill's shield was back up, his face red. "If you continue hanging out with the Ducks, we might have to treat you as one." And with that, he shoved Larson back into his seat. Larson's back hit the table pretty hard, but he refused to let it show. McGill glared at him, then shook his head and left.

Larson knew that if he took McGill's advice, the Hawks wouldn't bother giving him such a hard time about things. Conway wouldn't be all up in his face about Banks. Life would be a whole lot easier.

But then again..

Connie's smiling face filled his head.

_Never did like taking the easy way out._


	7. the blast is beautiful

**AN: **This chapter actually didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. But, hey, that's fiction for you!

To **8JbFbAbM9**, I'm glad you liked it! Larson is a pretty complex character, if you ask me. I think he cares for Adam, but the rest of the Ducks are a nuisance to him. He doesn't really know what to think of them, and Charlie is the worst one. As for Connie/Larson, who knows what'll happen there! All I know is that I have a soft spot for both Guy and Larson, so..

To **jnwrx1**, thank you! As much as I like 'Bangst', I really think some authors overdo it and write him off as being weak and/or weepy. I happen to think Adam's quite tough, really. He went against his father in D1 (who'd said he'd rather not play than play for Bombay) to play with the Ducks, told Portman not to call Julie 'babe' in D2 (and probably would have fought him, had Fulton and Charlie not held the two back), and even held his ground against Charlie in D3. So, Adam definitely won't be an emotional roller coaster in this fic. He won't even be the one with daddy issues! He has enough on his plate with Charlie as a best friend (for now).

Thanks for the reviews! Hope to see more, I love feedback!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
7. _in slow motion, the blast is beautiful  
_

* * *

"Conway."

Charlie raised his head from its resting spot, which was Julie's shoulder. He looked at Orion questioningly, still leaning all his weight against Julie, who was busy trying to tie her shoes and shove him away from her at the same time. As soon as he moved away, she smiled in victory. This disappeared as soon as she looked up from her shoes and saw the grave expression on their coach's face.

"What's up, coach?" Charlie asked, wondering why he looked as though there'd been a serious incident. He suddenly shot up, worry clearly on his face. "Is it my mom?"

Adam and Guy exchanged a look behind his back. Everyone was still in the locker rooms, aside for Kenny, who'd told them he wanted to go to bed early, Luis, who told them the same thing but was probably with Mindy, and Connie, who'd left as soon as she'd been done to most likely avoid Guy some more.

Coach Orion looked surprised, but nodded. Charlie felt all the blood drain from his face as he suddenly remembered the nightmare: his mum, hit by a car. "I just got a call from her," Orion explained, to which Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. If Casey'd called him, she couldn't be hurt. "She wants you to call her back as soon as possible. Said it's important."

Charlie immediately looked around the room. The rest of his team instantly caught on; they all searched through their stuff to see whether they had their mobile phones with them. It was Banks who finally took his out of his duffel bag and handed it over. Good ol' Cake-eater. Charlie smiled gratefully, instantly dialing the number he knew by heart.

_"Casey Conway--"_ before his mum could finish, Charlie interrupted, "Mom, what's wrong?"

"_Oh,"_ Casey sighed at the other end. _"I think you should sit down, Charlie."_

"No." Charlie refused, stubbornly. He was getting more and more anxious by the minute. Had someone died? Was it Jan? Shit, what if something happened to Bombay? "Tell me what's going on."

_"Oh, honey."_ Casey sighed again, _"It's about.. your father."_

Charlie finally sat down.

* * *

"What's going on, Jules?" Connie asked, a little out of breath as her friend dragged her with her. Julie didn't respond, but continued to walk as though there was someone chasing her down. "Did Charlie get sick again?" Connie tried again, but Julie shook her head no.

As they entered the locker room Connie had left about twenty minutes ago, and Connie was surprised to find most of the Ducks there. All except for Ken and Luis, she noticed. "What's going on?" she asked, feeling a bit dumb.

Charlie looked up, and she was startled to see his entire face was twisted into rage. "Daddy dearest called," he spat, and Connie instantly looked towards Guy, who caught her eye and nodded to confirm.

"He wants joint custody."

Without a sudden warning, Charlie suddenly stood up and tossed the phone he was still clutching in his hand at a nearby locker with incredible speed. Had Portman been sitting further to the right, he would have been hit. The phone smashed apart. Julie didn't think it would ever work again.

After a few moments of silence, Charlie sat back down. "Sorry," he muttered, though didn't look up. "I'll replace it."

"It's fine." Adam assured. He could always ask his father for a new one.

"Charlie," Russ started, hesitating briefly. He glanced towards the new Duck, who, Connie noticed, all looked a bit out of place. "You never told us about.." Russ trailed off as Charlie raised his head again. The old Ducks exchanged looks, knowing how hard it was for Charlie to talk about his dad.

"Mum and I left him," Charlie spoke, sullenly. "I don't remember much." Again, he looked furious. Had he still been holding the phone, it probably would have been crushed into his hand. "But I know he was a drunk. He never did anything, he just yelled at her a lot." His eyes glazed over, as though he was remembering something of long ago. "Until one day. He came home, and he hit her. He hit her so hard she had to go to the emergency room. I think he broke her arm."

The room was eerily silent. Though the old Ducks had heard the story before, it was still as upsetting as the first time he'd told them. Casey was like a mother to them, too. She'd always been there for the team. "As soon as he'd left the house, mum gathered our things and we left. Haven't heard from him since."

_Until now._ Though he hadn't said it out loud, all of the Ducks knew what he meant.

And so they sat into silence, each of them trying to think of a way to help their captain. Connie truly believed Charlie was the heart and soul of the team, as it was quite obvious that when Charlie felt bad, they all did.

"Okay, so." Julie finally spoke, clasping her hands together. "Charlie, we love you." While Connie nodded, most of the guys in the room eyed each other warily. Julie noticed and rolled her eyes, "Oh, stop acting macho." She huffed, before she turned back towards Charlie, glad to see the small smile on his face. "It won't do you any good if you keep thinking about it. So, I suggest, we all get a decent night's sleep and," she turned towards Connie and threw an arm around her friend excitedly, "Celebrate this girl's birthday tomorrow."

At once, the room was filled with cheers. Even Charlie brightened; knowing a night out would work wonders. As the team began to chatter amongst themselves, Charlie felt Fulton slap his back encouragingly. He smiled at the support they all gave him, though lingered behind as everyone left.

_Why now, 'dad'? _He thought, bitterly. _What's in it for you?_

As expected, no one answered him. Charlie sighed and began to collect his things. He headed out after his teammates, determined not to think about it unless he had to. His mum had told him not to worry, so he wasn't going to.

For now.

* * *

"For she's a jolly good Duck, for she's a jolly good Duck, for she's a jolly good Duck, which nobody can deny!"

Connie laughed as the team sang for her at breakfast, completely out of tune. It didn't matter that the entire hall was watching them. Though some of the old Ducks usually went home on weekends, they'd all decided to stay for Connie's birthday.

"Time for presents!" Portman announced giddily, as though the presents were for him instead. As the Ducks scrambled around to find their presents, Charlie looked over at Julie. Catching his eye, Julie gave him the thumbs up. He grinned back at her.

A good ten minutes later, Guy was the last to step forward, awkwardly. He held out a package for Connie to take, which she slowly did. "I bought this for you back when we were still.." he didn't have to finish, everyone knew what he meant. Though it looked to be a private moment, the eyes of the Ducks were glued to the scene before them. Connie carefully unwrapped the gift, which revealed a box. After a slow breath, she opened it and took her present out. Carefully dangling from her fingers was a silver charm bracelet, two charms hanging on it. Charlie could easily make out a hockey stick and a heart.

He whistled slowly. _Must have been expensive._

Connie stared at it for a while longer before she looked back up at her ex-boyfriend, her smile radiant, yet everyone saw the underlying sadness. "Thanks, Guy," Connie whispered, before she wrapped one arm around his neck for a hug. Guy carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling into her hair.

"And now," Charlie cleared his throat when the two parted. Julie quickly walked out of the hall, much to Connie's surprise. "It's time for the best birthday present ever. Presented to you by Charlie Conway. And I suppose Julie Gaffney too," everyone laughed as they heard Julie shout out a, "Hey!" from wherever she was, watching the scene unfold. "Here it is! Or should I say she?"

Guy stepped aside in order for Connie to see what was going on. When she finally spotted her best friend, her eyes grew twice in size at the company she was with. "Oh my god! _Tammy_!"

Tammy Duncan smiled brightly as Connie flew at her, enveloping her into a hug. The two began to start jumping up and down like a pair of kids shortly after. As soon as they were done, the rest of the old Ducks came up to greet the newcomer, as the new Ducks exchanged some rather confused glances. Fulton gathered the tiny blonde into a massive bear hug, despite Tammy's protests. After that, Averman and Goldberg both embrace her at the same time, nearly squashing her in the process. Even Guy couldn't keep the smile off his face, despite the tension between him and Connie.

"Adam Banks, always the polite one," Tammy regarded him teasingly, noticing he'd been the only one not to sweep her into a hug. She held out her arms, and Adam laughed, quickly hugging the girl he hadn't seen since he was eleven. Though they hadn't been that close, it was nice to see her.

"And Conway." Tammy put her hands on her hips and gave him a menacing glare. Charlie winced, wondering what he'd done this time. "Calls me up, wants to surprise Connie for her birthday. And then he doesn't even come pick me up! His _mother_ does." Charlie merely smiled, innocently. Tammy shook her head and then engulfed him into a hug, too.

Portman cleared his throat, "Anyone care to introduce us to the babe?" he asked, as Dwayne, Russ, Luis and Kenny nodded their heads in agreement. Fulton elbowed him in the side. "I told you about Tammy, dude." Portman gave him a look that plainly said he couldn't remember.

"People," Connie threw an arm around the still petite blonde, "This is Tammy Duncan. She and her brother Tommy used to be on the team, before you lot came along. She's one of my best friends." Tammy waved politely. Dwayne tipped his hat off to her as the others smiled in acknowledgement.

"Dude," came a familiar voice, and the Ducks looked to their side to see an even familiar face. He smirked, "I feel kind of left out here."

Before anyone could react, Charlie leaned into Connie with a careless shrug, "And he's part two of your present."

"Thanks for the introduction, Spazway," Jesse Hall commented, dryly. "What, no hug?"

Connie was the first to reach him, almost squealing. "_Jesse_!" He caught her just in time as she hugged him tightly. The rest of the Ducks were quick to follow, clapping him on the back. Eventually, the group began to chat among themselves.

Jesse turned towards Adam and Charlie, who stood side by side. "Please tell me you two made up by now."

Charlie shared a look with Banksie, leaning his arm on his shoulder. Adam eventually shrugged, "Still hate his guts." Charlie looked back at Jesse and nodded solemnly to confirm.

Jesse threw an arm around them both, "Glad to hear it. Hey, is that cake?"

"Didn't they get rid of you?"

All chatter immediately ceased when the Ducks caught sight of McGill and a few other Hawks. Fulton immediately stood in front of Tammy, but McGill wasn't focused on her.

"Who let this trash in?" Jesse had never been one to back down, and he wasn't going to now.

"I belong here. _I'm_ the one with the full scholarship." McGill smirked, close to bragging.

"And _I'm_ the one who's going to kick your ass." Jesse threatened, to which McGill laughed. Before he could say anything, though, someone came in between. "Move along, McGill," Larson told his friend, his face stern. McGill glared at him, before he motioned back to his teammates and left.

Larson turned back towards the Ducks, eyeing Jesse warily. Charlie couldn't help but smile at the uneasy look on his face. Finally, Jesse took a step forward and clapped Larson briefly on the shoulder in acceptance. "Unlike Conway, I trust Cake-eater." The '_don't fuck it up'_ was unsaid, but hung in the air. Larson nodded, and then went over to congratulate Connie.

"Okay!" Fulton exclaimed. Portman continued eagerly,_ "Let's get this party started!"_


	8. dare you to move

**AN:** Another chapter! Oh, what a feast. I was going to wait with this one, but I didn't feel like doing so. I have the week off, so I can dedicate myself to writing this fic and updating it!

To **8JbFbAbM9**, thanks for the review! I love reading your thoughts. You'll definitely see more of the Charlie/Julie friendship because, like I told you before, I love them. I'm glad you liked the return of Jesse and Tammy! Charlie's daddy issues won't be addressed in this chapter, but I can tell you that Bombay will be there for him. The Larson/Connie/Guy triangle will also continue to grow, though this fic is mostly focused on Charlie. I might do a Connie chapter sometime in the future, though! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
8. _dare you to move.  
_

* * *

"Charlie, we're leaving. Are you ready?"

Connie stuck her head around the corner, looking into the dorm he shared with Guy. Charlie, who was busy trying his best not to doze off, shook his head. "Waiting on Linda."

Connie began to nod, turning around to tell the others, before she suddenly groaned. She turned back around, looking apologetic. "Knew I'd forgotten something," she murmured. "I saw Linda earlier. She said she couldn't come tonight because she has a demonstration in the morning."

Charlie frowned. Why hadn't she told him? _Must have been really busy_. He jumped off his bed and stretched, "Then I'm ready! Lead the way, birthday girl." He placed his hands on her shoulders and began to whistle a marching tune. Connie laughed, took his hands and began to pull him along.

It didn't take long before the entire Ducks team, old, new and retired, plus Larson, were heading into town. On their skates, of course. What other way was there? There was chatter everywhere, occasional laughter, and even singing. Luis had promised to meet them there, as Mindy couldn't skate. Portman, Fulton, Tammy and Connie were skating ahead, the girls happily engaged in conversation with their arms tightly linked. Sometimes, Fulton would interrupt, or Portman would tell something embarrassing (mostly about Fulton), and they would all end up in a fit of laughter. Behind them skated Russ, Kenny, Dwayne and Guy. They were all engaged into conversation too, though Charlie could clearly see Guy kept looking at Connie whenever she laughed. Averman and Goldberg were closely behind, talking about God knows what, as Charlie couldn't exactly hear.

Last were Larson, Adam, Jesse and himself. Larson was telling Jesse something about Adam when he was a child, which had Jesse in stitches. Adam didn't look as entertained, though retaliated by telling Jesse about the time Larson had fallen into a giant puddle of mud. Charlie knew there was probably more to that story, but he'd tuned out a few minutes ago. He was irritated, most likely because the three of them hadn't even noticed he was falling further and further behind, too caught up in their little stories.

Something bumped into him. Or,_ someone_, Charlie thought, as he noticed Julie. She rubbed her forehead and glared at him, to which he smiled. Julie then sighed, taking a hold of Charlie's arm and resting her head against his shoulder. "I wish Scooter was here," she told him, sulkily. Scooter had told her he couldn't come due to practice, though Charlie thought this wasn't true. He probably felt uncomfortable with all the Ducks there. "I wish Linda was here," he replied, whiningly.

Just when he was about to ask her why she wasn't with Connie, he heard Tammy laugh up ahead. So that's why, he mused. It was ironic; Connie didn't have time for Julie because Tammy was there, and Jesse was too busy trying to get to know more about Larson to see his best friend was bored out of his skull. "Looks like it's just you and me, Cat-lady," he said, shaking his arm free from her grip to wrap it around her shoulders. In return, she leant into his side and encircled an arm around his waist, nodding sullenly.

* * *

"What's going on there?"

Adam shot Larson a glare for his last comment, to which Larson laughed harder, before he turned towards Jesse to ask what he meant. Noticing his friend wasn't looking at them but at something behind him, Adam followed his glance. He looked just in time for Charlie to kiss the side of Julie's head, the two of them skating closely together. To Adam, they looked more intimate than Luis and Mindy, an actual couple, had ever done. He looked away just in time; he could feel Charlie's eyes boring into his back. "Don't know," Banks shrugged, while Larson looked more interested. "Thought you said he had a girlfriend?"

"He does," Jesse confirmed, having heard of Linda. He'd yet to meet her, but Adam could see he wasn't too bothered that he hadn't yet. He sighed, "_Jesse_."

"What?" Jesse smiled, though there was something off about it. Adam knew perfectly well that he was thinking up some scheme. As soon as he noticed Jesse exchanging smiles with Larson, he knew his opinion was invalid. _Should have kept them apart_, his conscious told him. He'd actually thought convincing Jesse that Larson wasn't the same kid from four years ago would have been harder, but it was Charlie who was proving to be difficult. It was so different from the time he'd joined the Ducks, when Charlie had tried to welcome him, but Jessie had held him back, spitting 'Cake-eater' in Adam's face and leaving him there.

"They'd be good together," Jesse continued, but before Adam could tell him to cut it out, a voice interrupted.

Connie shouted enthusiastically, "We're here!" Adam looked over and could see Luis and Mindy up ahead, making out. Of course.

"Good," Goldberg whined, "My feet hurt."

Adam looked over at Jesse, who shared his thoughts: _Same old Goldberg_. As everyone went inside, Averman instantly went up to the bartender.

"It's this girl's birthday," he told the woman behind it, jabbing a thumb towards Connie, "Do we get the drinks for free?"

"Honey," the elderly woman told him, a bit irritated, "You don't know how many times I've heard that since we opened."

Averman nodded slowly. "So.. is that a no?"

The woman's glare said it all.

* * *

"Okay, who's up for second round?" Charlie asked, and the entire table broke out in cheers. The bartender had refused to serve them anything with alcohol in it, knowing perfectly well they were underage. Not even Portman working his charms had swayed her, much to some of the Ducks' disappointment. Charlie wasn't that bothered, a good coke could hit the spot too.

"You're buying this time, Charlie!" Russ shouted, to which Charlie groaned.

"I'll buy Connie's," he answered. To this, Connie smiled brightly, as the rest of the table shot him disgruntled looks. He winked at the birthday girl before he walked towards the bar, whistling a tune he didn't recognize as he waited for the bartender to finish serving someone else.

"You!"

Charlie stumbled backwards as he felt a sudden hand grasp his shoulder. Bewildered, he whirled around to face a man. The first thing he noticed was the rather expensive suit, before he looked up. A man with dark hair and even darker eyes stared back at him. "What?" he asked, dumbly.

"I know you!" the man squinted, as though he was trying to remember him. Charlie wondered whether he'd been at one of his games while trying to get him to release him. "Look, man, _I _don't know you--" he tried, but the man shook his head, his eyes wide and ridiculously bright all of a sudden. Charlie suddenly realized he was drunk. _Figures_, he thought, disgusted.

"Get off of him!" Adam was the first to reach the scene, and Charlie sighed in relief. The rest of the Ducks were quick to follow. Charlie was suddenly very grateful for his friends.

"Who are you?" the man demanded, snarling. "His _boyfriend_?"

Adam shared a _'what the hell is wrong with this guy' _look with Charlie and was in the midst of telling him no when Charlie heard Jesse yell, "Yeah, he is!" Both Ducks turned around to glare at their mutual friend. Jesse looked near tears, trying his best not to laugh out loud. He wasn't the only one, Charlie realized, noticing that most Ducks, if not all, looked highly entertained. Charlie scowled; they wouldn't be as amused if they were in his position.

"Really?" the man sneered, and Charlie flinched at his foul breath, taking a few steps back to escape him. He couldn't, seeing as the man still held him by his shoulder and Adam was behind him. The man leant in even closer, prompting Charlie to lean back into Adam, who rested a hand on his side, supportively. The man narrowed his eyes, "Prove it!"

Charlie turned towards Adam, at a loss for words. What was wrong with this man? Adam shook his head, telling him he had no idea. Charlie could feel his breath ghost over his lips and his eyes involuntarily dropped to Adam's mouth, suddenly aware just how close they were. He quickly looked back up and caught Adam's gaze, cool blue eyes staring into his own.

"Actually," Adam finally found his voice again, breaking free from the weird trance they were seemingly in. He looked away as he took a few steps back. Charlie suddenly felt another weight pushed into him. Looking over his shoulder, he could see it was Larson. Adam continued, holding a protesting Larson right where he was. "_He_ is."

"_What?"_ both Charlie and Larson exclaimed dumbfounded. Larson instantly looked horrified and Charlie was quick to mirror it, much to the amusement of the rest. The man's grip loosening as he stared on confusedly, to Charlie's relief. He made a mental note to kill Adam.

"_Actually_," Connie suddenly piped up, smiling brightly. She squeezed herself through the crowd and didn't hesitate once to take Charlie's arm, cheerfully. "I am."

"But you're a girl," the man looked extremely lost. By now, he'd released Charlie completely. "Your point being?" Connie didn't back down, her head held high. Charlie felt all tension drain from him; the man was obviously too drunk to realize what was going on. He wasn't a threat to anyone. "Let's get out of here," he murmured into Connie's ear, who nodded, still glaring at the man. He looked back at the rest, gesturing at the exit. Portman, who was still eyeing the man warily, nodded on behalf of the Ducks and began to escort them all out.

"That was weird," he heard Kenny comment as Charlie turned to leave. He was fully aware of the eyes boring into the back of his head, the man staring after them.

He didn't look back.

* * *

"Where's Casey, Charlie?"

Charlie tossed his keys on the table as he switched on a lamp. The apartment instantly lit up. He smiled, happy to see nothing had changed in the one week he'd been absent. This was home to him.

"She's with Coach," he answered. At once, the entire group began to holler and whistle, and Charlie was unable to keep the grin off his face.

"Orion?" Larson was the only one confused. Mindy probably would have been too, had Luis not taken her home.

"Nah," Charlie shook his head, still grinning. He ignored the fact it was kind of awkward, to have someone he'd hated for such a long time in his home. "Coach Bombay."

"I'll tell you later," Adam promised when the confusion didn't lift from Larson's face. Larson shrugged, eyes taking in his surroundings. Though it was tiny, the apartment looked _homely_. He suddenly noticed a picture frame on top of the mantle and took it off, despite Charlie's warning glance. It was a District 5 picture, taken before they became the Ducks. "Look at that hair," Larson snorted, "I forgot about it."

"Put it down, Larson," Charlie looked a bit embarrassed as the rest of the group surrounded him to look at it too. After a while, Larson finally put it back where it stood, not wanting to be disrespectful in another person's home.

Casey had given Charlie permission to take the gang over to their place, after making him promise he wouldn't wreck anything. And, oh, right, "Take off your shoes."

Everyone scrambled to take off their shoes, and it was only then that Charlie wondered how his living room was going to house all fifteen of them. As though realizing this, everyone suddenly began to sprint towards the couch, Goldberg tripping over his own shoes as he tried to climb on it.

In the end, Connie, Tammy, Fulton and Portman shared the couch, much to Charlie's chagrin. Julie had sat herself down in the chair. The rest of them were doomed to sit on the floor. Charlie opted to sit in front of Julie, who didn't hesitate to use his head as a place to rest her feet. He glared at her shoes, wrapped his hands around her ankles and pulled her down. As expected, Julie instantly tucked her legs beneath her and cuffed him around the ear.

Guy came to sit beside Charlie, who smiled as he noticed Guy had taken the nearest seat to Connie. They'd make up eventually, he was confident about it. How could they not? They'd been off and on since they were ten. Looking around the room, Charlie saw Jesse had taken a seat next to Adam, who was, of course, beside Larson. Adam, as though he know someone was looking, turned his head. Charlie caught his eye and smiled, though this faltered as soon as Adam broke contact without even acknowledging him.

Jesse, who'd noticed the exchange, cocked his eyebrow into Charlie's direction. Charlie shook his head to say he wasn't sure what just happened. He wasn't too fussed; he knew that if something was bothering Banksie, Jesse could get it out of him.

As the rest sat down, Averman was looking through the cabinet for a movie. He was completely as ease as he made a mess of things. Eventually, Connie went over to help him. She took a video case right out of Averman's hands, "I love this movie!"

Charlie could easily make out the 'Casablanca' on it. He began to groan, cursing his mother. "Not again, Con!"

"Shush, it's my birthday."

Yeah, he'd lost that argument.


	9. crossroads

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews, you guys! Here's another chapter.

To **8JbFbAbM9**, I'm glad you loved it! Charlie's pretty much my favorite, though Adam comes close. Jesse definitely noticed something's up, but I don't think he knows _what_. Hell, I don't even think Adam knows he and Charlie shared some kind of moment at that bar. You know how teenage boys are. Anyway, here's another chapter! Hope you like it. Thanks for the review.

To **jnwrx1, **yeah, the chapter was a bit darker. I think it'll only get worse from here, as Charlie's not exactly fond of his father at the moment. And to be honest, my first idea _was_ to have the drunken man end up being Charlie's father, but then I decided not to go this route. You'll find out why later! Thanks for the review.

* * *

**Center Of Attention  
**9. _crossroads_

* * *

"Adam, wait up."

Adam slowed down until he could see Jesse skate beside him, looking at his friend questioningly. Jessie smiled, skating slower than usual as he watched something up ahead. Adam followed his gaze only to see Charlie shoving Larson to the side. He sighed, about to tell them to knock it off, until he felt Jesse's hand on his arm. Adam, again, looked at him with question clear in his eyes. Jesse shook his head, telling him not to interfere, and then nodded towards the two again. Looking back, Adam suddenly noticed Charlie had the stupidest grin on his face as he regarded Larson, who was laughing.

_Weird_ was the only way Banks could describe the scene. He quickly looked away when he saw Charlie turn to wave at them, telling them to get a move on. Jesse motioned at Charlie to go ahead, to which Charlie shrugged, taking a hold of Larson's shoulder and pushing him forward a little too roughly.

Larson knocked into Julie, who screeched loudly in surprise. Adam was sure he'd gone deaf.

They were all heading towards the diner Casey worked at, as Charlie's mother had been kind enough to promise breakfast if they stopped by. But Adam knew Jesse didn't want to talk about breakfast.

"What's up, Cake-eater?"

He shrugged, "Nothing. You?"

"Don't give me that crap, Banks." Adam couldn't help but smile inwardly. He'd been right, of course. Jesse continued, "You've been acting off since yesterday."

"I'm fine. Just tired," Though it was Charlie who could read him best, Jesse wasn't bad at it either, and he didn't look convinced. Adam rolled his eyes, "_Really_." He was tired, as he hadn't really been able to sleep. Charlie's floor wasn't exactly what he'd call comfortable, but the gang had decided it'd be fun to have a sleep over. Larson hadn't exactly looked thrilled, but he'd stayed either way. Adam was glad to see his old friend was really making an effort to make up for his past mistakes.

"Is this about Julie?" Jesse tried, again. Adam looked at the girl in question. Charlie had taken a hold of Julie, who now had to skate with extra baggage attached to her, all because Charlie was a lazy excuse of a human being. Larson was shaking his head amusedly as Julie tried to get away.

Finally, Adam looked back towards Jesse, who was staring at him as if trying to figure him out. "What about Julie?"

"Well, she's been with Charlie a lot, and you always had this thing for her." Jesse looked as though he'd solved the puzzle, while Adam looked at him as though he was just plain nuts.

"That was three years ago," Adam reminded him, thinking back to when he thought he had a crush on their female goalie. "And why would I be bothered by Julie and Charlie? Scooter's the one dating her."

"Then why is Charlie kissing her?"

"_What_?" Adam turned around so fast, he would have fallen over had it not been for Jesse, who took a hold of his arm to steady him. When Banks finally set sight on Charlie, he noticed that he wasn't busy kissing Julie, but looking at him oddly. Larson and Julie were doing the same.

Adam shot a glare at Jesse, who was shaking with laughter. "That wasn't funny."

"Not bothered, huh?" was all Jesse could manage to get out, in between laughs.

"I'm _not_." Adam scowled, knowing there was no use. He'd fallen right for Jesse's little trap. It wasn't that he didn't like Julie; of course he did, just not romantically. He didn't have any time for girls when it came to hockey. Why couldn't Jesse leave it? He just wasn't feeling his best today.

"Don't worry, man. I won't tell a soul," Jesse promised, smiling like a loon.

"_I don't like Julie_!" Adam didn't realize he'd hollered this until he noticed the Ducks were all staring at him. Julie looked as though she wasn't sure whether to be hurt or amused by his outburst. Charlie looked as though he'd just realized the problem, exchanging a look with Larson. Adam wished the two would stop doing that. Who'd died and made them best friends all of a sudden?

Wait, why was he irritated by it? He _wanted_ Charlie and Larson to get along.

"Whatever you say, Adam," Jesse patted him on the back, before he nodded towards the diner up ahead. "Look, we're here."

As the entire gang went inside the diner Charlie's mother worked at, Adam avoided looking at anyone. He didn't really want to explain why he'd shouted what he did, especially not to Julie.

"Hey, mom," Charlie grinned widely, "How was your date with Coach?"

Casey shot him a look that plainly said 'not now', though her cheeks colored pink. Charlie took this as a positive sign, slapping a high five with the person nearest to him. _Of course_, this just happened to be Julie. Adam rolled his eyes as he saw Charlie wrap an excited arm around her.

"Connie, dear, I know I'm a day late, but this is for you." Casey offered her a slice of cake, a lit candle on top of it. "Happy birthday," Casey told her, as Connie beamed back at her. She blew the candle out and swatted Goldberg's hand away, who was trying to take a piece.

"Now, you kids go take a seat," Casey told them, smiling. "I'll be right there to take your order. Charlie, can I talk to you?"

Charlie nodded, and Julie disentangled herself from him. The rest of the Ducks piled into a booth near the window. Larson, who looked rather out of place, smiled at Connie when she patted the seat next to her. Adam made a mental note to ask him what that was about, before he felt someone take a seat to his left. He didn't need to look to know it was Julie.

He took a deep breath and just as he was about to tell her what happened, there was a loud crash. Everyone instantly turned towards where it came from. The stool Charlie had sat on to talk to his mother was now on the floor, and despite the fact Charlie had his back turned on them, Adam could easily see that he was angry by his clenched fists.

"Tell him to go to hell!" Charlie almost roared, "I won't see him!"

"Charlie, he's your father," Casey tried, but Charlie shook his head, and without another word, rushed out of the diner. The Ducks sat in silence, not sure what had just happened. Larson looked as though he was asking himself why he'd come in the first place. Finally, it was Julie who shot up from her seat and went after their captain.

A man slowly walked up towards the counter, and Casey, upon seeing him, sighed, "I'm sorry, but he doesn't want to see you." Though she looked calm, Adam could see she was anything but. Her hands were shaking. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The man, who Adam now knew to be Charlie's father, didn't say anything. Casey gave him another stern glare, and the man finally turned and left the diner. Though Adam couldn't see his face, something about him was familiar. Was it because he was Charlie's dad and they shared the same mannerism?

"I'm sorry, kids," Casey apologized, her eyes downcast. "Now, what would you like for breakfast?"

It was safe to say all of the Ducks had lost their appetite.

* * *

There was less chatter than before as the Ducks made their way back to Eden Hall. It was time for Tammy to leave, so they need to collect her things. And Adam had a feeling they'd see Charlie on the way.

Once they saw Julie up ahead, Adam knew he'd been right. As he began to skate towards her, he was suddenly aware of everyone staring pointedly at him. "What?" He asked, nonplussed. To give him a hint, Jesse nodded towards Charlie, who'd now come into sight, and then gave him a little push. Adam rolled his eyes when he realized he'd been selected to see how his best friend was doing.

When Jesse pushed him again, Adam threw his hands up in surrender. He wasn't really sure how to handle this, seeing as he didn't have a deadbeat dad, but he wanted to make sure Charlie was okay. He suddenly felt grateful for his own father, who was as strict as could be, but in the end, only wanted the best for Adam.

"Hey, Adam." Julie smiled at him as she caught sight of him. He smiled warmly at her, before he motioned to where he knew the others were, "Connie needs to talk to you about something."

Julie, knowing he was lying through his teeth, nodded. She embraced Charlie for a brief hug before she skated back to join the Ducks.

"You're the worst liar I know, Banksie," Charlie said once she'd left, and Adam was surprised to see he was smiling. Adam shrugged easily, feeling more at ease knowing Charlie wasn't angry.

The pair skated in silence for a while, before Adam couldn't keep quiet anymore, "Charlie, are you okay?"

Charlie didn't answer at first, before he smiled again, this time more wryly. "Yeah, I guess. I just wasn't ready, you know? I didn't want to see him. But, as Jules pointed out, I need to, sometime." He caught Adam's eye, then shrugged, "Just not today."

"We're here for you," Adam told him, completely serious. "All of us. You know that, right?"

Charlie smiled widely, and then threw an arm around his shoulders. "I know _you_ are, Banksie." And then he raised his voice as he spoke, "I'm not so sure about the rest of those losers, though."

"Hey!" Guy confirmed what Charlie already knew; everyone was listening in on their conversation. Connie skated up to Charlie's other side, taking a hold of his hand. "If you need us, we're here. Ducks--" she stopped as the rest of the Ducks yelled, "Fly together!"

"That still sounds as lame as it did three years ago, you know." Larson commented dryly after everyone had quieted down. Everyone laughed as Jesse shoved him to the side.

"Charlie?" Goldberg suddenly called out, panic clear in his voice. Adam looked back just in time to see his friend was skating off a small hill, going the wrong way. "I'm a defence man," Goldberg yelled, waving his arms wildly, "_Not a skater_!"

Charlie sighed, "Here we go again." And with that, he changed course and went after Goldberg.

"_I'm coming, Goldie!"_

_

* * *

_

"I'll miss you," Tammy was swept into another hug by Connie, who obviously didn't want her friend to leave. Tammy smiled, "I'll miss you too. But I got to go, Con." Connie finally released her, albeit sulkily.

Tammy turned towards Julie, "Thank you for inviting me, it means a lot. It was great to see everyone again." Julie smiled, and the two embraced briefly. "It was no problem."

Fulton was next, and he caught her in one of his bear hugs. Tammy laughed, and the two exchanged goodbyes. Portman, who'd taking quite a liking to her as well, pulled her into a hug of his own. "Look after this big loon, okay?" she asked him, referring to Fulton, who glared mockingly at her. Portman grinned, nodding as he released her.

Adam was one of the last, and Tammy reached up to hug him, "And you. Take care of him, alright?" she whispered, and he didn't have to be a straight A student to know who she was talking about. "I'll try," Adam replied, to which Tammy laughed as she withdrew from him to say goodbye to Jesse, who wasn't leaving until evening.

Last, she reached Charlie. Adam couldn't hear what she was telling him, but by the looks of it, it was serious. Finally, Charlie nodded solemnly and released her from his hug.

As Connie escorted her friend out, the Ducks all went their separate ways. Larson was the last one there, and he offered a hand to Charlie, who took it without hesitation. "Thanks for the invite, man," Larson smiled, and Charlie nodded, "No problem." After a while, the two of them still hadn't released each other's hand and were staring at each other evenly. Adam, realizing they were having some kind of competition, coughed loudly. This prompted Charlie to take his hand back. Larson saluted to Adam, who smiled briefly, before he too left, in search of his Hawks teammates.

"Got a good grip," Charlie murmured, before he noticed Adam's glance, "What?"

"You're an idiot," Adam told him, plain and simple.

"Aw, Banksie," Charlie almost gushed, throwing his arms around his best friend. He continued, girlishly. "You love me. You _really_ love me."

"Charlie, you're choking me." Though he was serious, Adam couldn't help but laugh. It was amazing how Charlie could go from brooding teenager to a small kid in such a short time.

"I love you too, Banks." Adam felt his stomach twist strangely as Charlie looked at him, green eyes unusually bright. He was suddenly reminded of last night, when Charlie had looked at him in the same way. He quickly looked away when he heard a throat being cleared near them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Linda smiled, an amused glint in her eye. "But I was wondering if I could talk to Charlie?"

"Take him," Adam told her, as Charlie ruffled his hair. "I'll be glad to get rid of him."

Charlie huffed, mock insulted, "Fine, if that's how you feel." He released his friend as Adam tried to fix his hair, and then regarded his girlfriend with kind eyes, "What's up?"

Adam watched the two leave before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, and then immediately wished he hadn't.

"So," Julie placed a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowed. "What's this about you not liking me?"

_Crap._


	10. see you in my nightmares

**AN: **Chapter ten! I feel like this is a milestone, haha. I also have more than 1000 hits! Thanks, you guys. Hope you remember to review so I know whether you lot are enjoying this!

To **8JbFbAbM9**, thanks for the review! Even though Adam has no idea what's going on, we do! Right now, both boys aren't aware they might actually like each other more than friends. I think Adam more 'wary' of Julie than Linda right now because Charlie is spending as much time with Linda as he is with his (nonexistent) dog: absolutely none. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
10. _see you in my nightmares_

* * *

A pair of strong arms encircled Charlie's waist, fingers sliding under the shirt he wore, palm splayed over his bare stomach. They tightened their grip on him and, softly, pressed their lips against the back of his neck. Charlie frowned as he realized he'd gone to bed alone. He sleepily tried to shift away before the voice murmured, "Go back to sleep, Conway."

_Larson. _

Charlie screamed and tried to roll out of the bed.

He landed on the floor.

And then he woke up.

Guy stared at him, sleepily. "Did you just scream Larson and fall on the floor?"

"Uh," Charlie scratched the back of his head, hoping Guy would think he was having a dream. "No?"

Guy shot him another look, murmured something about having a nutcase for a roommate and then rolled onto his other side, wanting to catch up on his sleep.

Charlie quickly scrambled off of the floor, checking his bed for any other bodies quickly before he cautiously got back into bed.

Sleep did not come quickly.

* * *

"..and then he screamed 'Larson' and fell onto the floor!" Guy told the story at breakfast the next day. At once, the entire table burst into peals of laughter. Connie was near tears as she tried to imagine the scene, while Julie had hidden her face behind her palms in an attempt to hide her amusement. Charlie glared at her either way.

"What was Larson doing to you, Conway?" Portman snorted, openly laughing at his friend.

"It wasn't funny!" Charlie exclaimed, burying his head into his arms.

"What wasn't funny?" came Adam's voice, and Charlie felt him take a seat next to him. He immediately groaned, not wanting another repeat of the story.

"Charlie's erotic dream about Larson," Goldberg piped up. He smiled a _'you're welcome'_ when Charlie raised his head to scowl at him.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," came another voice, and Charlie saw Larson take a seat next to Adam, much to his horror. Larson looked pissed off, though not with Conway. He kept shooting disgruntled looks towards the Hawks table. Charlie wondered what that was all about, until Guy began to retell the entire story again, and then he just wondered whether smashing his head against the table would be able to knock him out. Eventually, he decided against it. Feeling Adam's shoulders shake, he narrowed his eyes and looked closely at his friend, noticing Adam was trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Shut up, Banks," Charlie elbowed him into the side, "I heard Julie kicked your ass."

At once, the entire table turned towards Adam, who looked like a deer in headlights. "No, she didn't," Adam tried to explain, and Julie leaned forward, wanting to hear what he had to say on the matter herself. Banks shot a glare towards Charlie, who smiled back smugly. At least the attention wasn't on him anymore.

Charlie rested his head into his arms again as he tuned out on the chatter, looking around the cafeteria. Because of his dream—or rather, nightmare—he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. Though this wasn't the only thing on his mind. His mother had called him the evening before and had asked, timidly, whether it was possible for his father to attend his game on Monday, the game _today_. He'd wanted to tell her no with all his heart, but then thought back to what Julie had told him and what he'd told Adam: he needed to see his father, sometime. So he'd told her yes. And if that wasn't bad enough, there was also—

Charlie caught sight of his girlfriend a few tables away, sitting with some of her friends. Linda, sweet Linda, who'd asked him to attend dinner with her parents after his game. Though he'd told her yes, after he'd given permission to Casey to tell his father he could come to his game, Charlie knew he had to cancel. There was a big possibility 'daddy-dearest' wanted to talk to him afterwards, and even though he would have rather gone to dinner with Linda, he knew this was something he had to do.

When he'd told Linda he wouldn't be able to make it, she'd regarded him with her mouth set into a thin line, telling him she wasn't pleased. When she'd asked why, he hadn't been able to answer her. Linda had walked away, clearly angry with him.

He still didn't know why he hadn't been able to tell her about his father. Even_ Larson_ knew.

And now, he felt guilty.

"You okay?"

Charlie turned his head to the side and caught Adam's gaze, which was filled with concern. He grinned, "Yeah. Don't worry so much. You'll get wrinkles."

As Adam rolled his eyes, another voice intruded. "Charlie, Banks, come on, dudes." Portman called out, and Charlie looked up to see the rest of his team was already on their way to class. Adam rose from his seat and began to head towards them.

"Great, class." Charlie managed to drag himself away from the table, walking after Adam as slowly as he could.

"Come on, Charlie." Adam turned to encourage his friend to quicken up the pace, smirking. "If you ask nicely, I'll let you sit next to Larson."

_Life is hell,_ Charlie decided.

* * *

A piece of paper hit him in the head, causing Charlie to wake up from his nap. "Wha'?" he murmured, before he realized he was in class. He quickly sat up straight as the teacher droned on, and then glanced back to the paper on his desk. He unfolded it and stared at the writing on it. _You are hereby cordiallyinvited, it said,_ _to attend the wedding between Charlie Conway and Billy Larson. _

Charlie stared at the two kissing stick figures on the bottom. A few seats further, Russ gave him the thumbs up. Charlie drew a line across his throat and mouthed, '_You're dead_.' Next to him, Fulton coughed loudly in an attempt not to laugh. As soon as the bell rung, Charlie shot out of his seat and lunged at Russ, who barely escaped and began to run.

"You better run!" Charlie hollered, chasing after him.

"What's up with them?" Julie asked, amused. In response, Fulton handed her the note. The rest of the Ducks read it over her shoulder and then simultaneously fell into a fit of laughter.

"He never even gave me a ring," someone commented, and they looked to the side to see Larson, who'd read the note too. Again, the group chuckled.

"Will you come to our game, Billy?" Connie suddenly asked, to which the Hawk smiled, a bit surprised, "Sure." Connie beamed at him. She took his arm and made him walk her to her next class; despite the fact Larson didn't share it with her.

Guy looked less than happy with the arrangement, but kept his mouth shut as he trailed after the pair. Adam glanced at Julie, who raised her shoulders in a shrug.

They found Charlie in the hallway a few minutes later, holding Russ in a headlock. Dwayne managed to get Charlie off of Russ, "C'mon, y'all. Save it for the game!"

"Yeah, Charlie," Russ wheezed out, trying to catch his breath and laughing at the same time. "If we win, Larson might give you a victory kiss." He started making kissing noises.

At once, Charlie tore himself out of Dwayne's arms and went after Russ again.

"Those boys," Julie sighed.

"Charlie's going to kill him, isn't he?" Kenny asked. To this, Fulton nodded solemnly.

The Ducks all exchanged looks. Then, they all began to run after their Captain and the boy with the knuckle puck.

* * *

"Line change!" Orion shouted, looking at the score board. 8 to 1, they were playing well. The Indians looked as though they just wanted to get it over and done with, while the Ducks were still going strong. Orion was proud of his team.

Charlie beamed at his coach as he sat down on the bench, taking his water bottle as he scanned the crowds. Linda wasn't there, he noticed dully. His mother was, and though she looked ecstatic her son was winning, he could clearly see she was tense. All because of the man next to her. His father.

As much as Charlie wanted to hate him, the look on his father's face when he'd made a goal had been the main reason he'd been playing so well. He felt oddly happy every time his father jumped up from his seat and cheered him on. So he wanted to make his father proud of him, big deal. Banksie always played harder when Phillip was there, too. Just because Charlie was doing the same thing didn't mean he liked him.

"Yeah, go, Cake-eater!" A familiar voice shouted, and Charlie smiled as he saw Jesse Hall raise a fist in the air as he sprang from his seat when Adam scored the ninth goal. It was the first game Jesse had attended after he'd quit hockey. Charlie was glad to see him, whether he was on the field or not. Larson, who'd taken a seat next to him, was staring at the match intensely. Even though he'd 'changed', or so Adam said, Charlie couldn't help but be suspicious. _He better not be spying for the Hawks_, he thought. Whether he and Larson had called a truce during Connie's birthday didn't matter. The guy was still a Hawk.

"Change it up!" Orion yelled, and Charlie patted his best friend on the back in congratulations as Adam dropped into a seat next to him. Adam grinned back at him before he concentrated on the match. Charlie glanced at his mother once more, smiling as he caught her gaze, before he turned back to the game.

The Bash Brothers were on a roll, slamming into everyone in order to gain the puck. Once they had it, Portman skated towards the goal. At the last moment, he passed back towards Fulton, who took aim and slapped the puck with his stick. It soared through the air and then hit the net.

As the team cheered, Charlie knocked his shoulder into Adam, who laughed back at him. They both knew it was over: they'd won their first game, despite the fact they still have five minutes of play time.

"You going to talk to your dad?" Adam asked, even though his eyes were on the ice.

"Yeah, I guess." Charlie stared at his hockey stick. His stomach felt as though it was in knots.

"Nice save, Cat-lady!" Goldberg, who was near Charlie, shouted. Charlie looked up to see the puck falling from Julie's glove. Guy took the puck and began skating towards the other side.

"It'll be fine." Banks assured, just as the buzzer rang. Charlie looked up at the score board to see the score: 11-1. Guy had probably scored when Charlie had looked away.

"I hope so," Charlie replied, before they skated onto the ice to congratulate their team. He engulfed Connie in a hug and twirled with her on the ice, before releasing her. She skated right into Guy's arms, who caught her before she could fall down. Charlie grinned as the two stared at each other, before Connie threw her arms around Guy in a celebration hug.

"Charlie, your mom's waiting for you," Julie told him as he reached her. He groaned into her shoulder pad as she laughed, pushing him towards where his mother and father stood. _Time to face the music, Charlie._

"You were amazing!" Casey congratulated her son as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thanks, mom." He smiled as he returned the embrace, pulling back to look into her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Casey's smile faltered as she stepped back, and Charlie came face to face with the man he hadn't seen since he was a child. "Charlie," his mother began, "This is George, your father."

"Hello, Charlie," George smiled pleasantly, offering his son a hand. Charlie stared at it for a while before he took it, shaking his hand. "Hello, _George_," Charlie replied coolly as he put an emphasis on the name. The only person he'd ever consider calling '_dad_' was Bombay, who'd been his father figure since he'd been ten.

George continued to smile as he regarded him. "You've grown," he said, and Charlie fought the urge to roll his eyes. _Yeah, that's what kids do_, he thought. "You played really well. Your triple deke is amazing." At this, Charlie looked surprised he knew what a triple deke was. George looked a little embarrassed, "Your mother gave me a few tapes to watch."

"Oh," Charlie didn't know what to say.

"Would you…" George started, looking hopeful, "Would you like to take a walk with me? We can talk."

Charlie looked back towards his mother, who smiled, looking tired and worn, as she nodded. "Yeah, okay," Charlie agreed as he regarded George, who looked relieved, "Let me just hit the showers. I'll meet you in front of the school."

As he told them bye, Charlie skated back towards the locker rooms.

He arrived at the locker room to see everyone had gone already. Once he stood in front of his locker, he noticed a note attached to it. It was a large heart, drawn with what he guessed to be Connie's lipstick. Underneath it was a flock of birds in a flying v. Charlie shook his head, amused, yet grateful. He made a mental note to buy Connie a new lipstick before he began to remove his pads, heading into the showers.

Whatever happened, he'd always have his Ducks.


	11. bitter taste

**AN:** I don't have time to thank all the reviewers personally, so I'll just say I really appreciate the reviews! Thank you. And, to **8JbFbAbM**9, yes, they were 10/11! My bad, sorry about that. Sorry about the late update, but it was my birthday on Saturday, so I didn't have time! Updates will be less frequent from now on because I have college (boo!) but I'll try to update at least once or twice a week! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_11. _bitter taste

* * *

Adam kicked the door shut with the heel of his shoe, letting his duffel bag drop onto the floor. The room was empty, as Dean was out with the rest of the Ducks, celebrating their win. Though they'd insisted he'd join them, Adam had declined. He was beat; scoring 6 of the 11 goals did that to you. He sank onto his bed, content to just sit there for a while before he noticed a stray puck on the ground. It was probably Portman's, but Adam groaned nonetheless. Looked like hockey followed him everywhere, no matter where he was.

Not that he minded. Of course not. He was just tired.

Adam reached out to take the puck, scruntinizing it. He loved hockey; to him, it was a way of life. It had started out as a sport, back when he was a Hawk. He'd joined the team because of his father, wanting to make him proud. Wanting to make his brother proud.

He tossed the puck into the air, high up. He caught it with ease when it came down.

And then, there'd been the Ducks. Because of them, because of Bombay, because of Charlie, he'd learnt it wasn't just a sport. It was also a game, something he could _enjoy_. Adam smiled at the puck in his hand as he leaned back against the wall behind him. Though he hadn't fit in with the Ducks at first, he knew he'd do it all over again if he had to. Even the brawls with Charlie.

_Charlie_. Adam wondered how his best friend was, taking a look at his watch. Charlie had been with his father for over an hour now. Banks knew that, when Charlie returned, he'd want to talk to Adam about it; it was the only reason he wasn't fast asleep yet.

"Banks!"

Startled, Adam looked up to see the door open with a _bang_. Larson, taking in the room's surroundings as though the Ducks would come out of the shadows and tackle him, entered the room cautiously. Despite the fact he'd spend about a day with them, Adam knew his old friend was still weary of the Ducks. He was sure the feeling was mutual, concerning Charlie at least.

"Portman's not here," he told Larson, smiling. "Come in."

Larson looked relieved, and then beckoned to something behind him. The smile Adam held was gone within seconds when another person came in hesitantly. "Hey, Adam."

Adam clenched the puck in his hand, tense as he regarded him, coolly.

"Hello, McGill."

* * *

_This is awkward_, Charlie thought as he and George walked through campus. Neither had spoken, and Charlie was getting antsy. Hadn't he said he wanted to talk? _What a waste of time_, Charlie thought, irritated. He could be with the Ducks right now. Hell, he could be with Linda right now.

"So, Charlie," George finally spoke, as if reading his son's thoughts. "Tell me something about yourself."

Charlie shrugged as he stuck his hands into his pockets. His fingers took a hold of the folded note inside of it, the note the Ducks had left him. It gave him the strength not to make a break for it and run. "I'm fifteen," he said, unsure of where to start. "I like hockey."

Yeah, so he wasn't really helping things move along, but he didn't know what to say. George nodded, and the pair walked in silence once again. Finally, Charlie couldn't take it anymore, and he turned towards his father, determinated. "Why do you want custody? Why _now_, after all these years?"

George didn't answer at first, staring at the open sky. Charlie couldn't help but follow his gaze. There were a few stars out, nothing special. He scowled, rolling his eyes. He'd never been known for his patience, and this wasn't the time to test it.

"I've been sober for eighteen months," George said, still not looking at him. "You might not remember, Charlie, but I was a mess. I drank whenever I could. At home, at work. You see, your mother and I were very young when we had you, and it put a lot of stress on me. I know this isn't an excuse for what I did, because there's no excuse for that." Charlie lowered his gaze towards his feet as they continued to walk, uncomfortable.

_You see, your mother and I were very young when we had you, and it put a lot of stress on me_. Had it been his fault?

"One day, my boss caught me drinking. He fired me. I was so angry, Charlie. That was the day..." George cleared his throat, "Your mother left me."

Charlie knew what he'd originally wanted to say: _that was the day I hit her._

"I fell into a depression. A friend tried to get me help, but I refused. For years, I didn't want to continue living. I drank myself to near death and ended up in the hospital." Charlie swallowed hard, this wasn't easy to hear. Though he disliked the man, he was still related to him by blood.

George laughed then, to Charlie's surprise. "That's when my life took a turn for the better. I was listening to the radio when I heard it. Some team called the Mighty Ducks had won the peewee state championship. Charlie Conway had scored the last goal, leading them to victory."

Charlie finally looked up to watch his father. There was a twinge of... _what, pride?_ in his voice. "I knew it was you. I knew it was my son. And it was that moment that I realized what I'd lost. And I wanted to get it back, Charlie. I wanted you back." George smiled down at his son, though Charlie averted his gaze. "So I quit. And let me tell you, it was harder than I'd thought it'd be. But the AA meetings helped, and I build the courage to ask for joint custody."

"But why joint custody?" Charlie was still aggravated. To him, George had asked for too much in too little time.

"Because I didn't think your mother would let me see you. I didn't think you'd want to see me." George smiled, this time more wryly. "And I was right."

He continued before Charlie could even open his mouth, "I just want to spend time with you, Charlie." He hesitated before he sighed, "Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes!" The answer was out before he could think about it, but Charlie wasn't about to take it back. "It's hard. For me, and mom. It's too much."

"I'm sorry," George looked sincere, but his tone was anything but, "But I'm not letting you go, Charlie. Not this time." He put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, his grip hard. Charlie could feel his hand through the shirt he wore, his palm warm. The feeling consumed him, like he couldn't breathe. He quickly shook his shoulder free and shook his head.

"Look, I have to go. It's almost curfew." Curfew wasn't for another hour, but Charlie didn't care. He didn't want to talk anymore, at least not to this man. He turned, hands back into his pockets. The crumbled note was still there, but didn't offer him any comfort this time.

"Wait, Charlie!"

Charlie ignored his father and left.

* * *

"—when you were a Hawk, do you remember?"

Laughter filled his ears as Charlie neared closer to the dorm. He frowned; that voice, it didn't sound like Banks or Portman.

"Yeah, like when you knocked Hall's helmet off." Larson, Charlie recognized, was saying.

"Or Conway, when you decked him. He went down like the little bitch he is!"

"McGill,--" Adam gritted his teeth, but he never had the chance to finish as the door creaked. He looked to his left just in time to see Charlie step inside. _Shit_, he thought, knowing fully well the captain of the Ducks would get the wrong idea. He didn't have time to open his mouth or even react, as the next thing he knew Charlie had strode forward and swung his fist.

He punched McGill in the nose, who immediately shouted, '_fuck_!' and clutched it. If you asked Adam, he deserved it. To his surprise, Charlie didn't leave, or even tried to punch McGill again, but instead he sat down on the bed, next to Adam. The look on his face clearly stated he wanted the Hawks to get out.

Larson caught on, eyeing Charlie warily. "Come on, McGill," he said, and Adam could see a smile. McGill grunted, but he didn't protest. By the red on his hand, it seemed as though his nose was bleeding. The two of them left, Larson closing the door behind him. The room fell silent.

"McGill came to apologize," Adam spoke after a minute. "It wasn't my idea,--"

Charlie cut him off, "I believe you, Banksie."

Though this was a relief, Adam wasn't at ease. He knew something was bothering Charlie, but he clearly didn't want to talk about it. But that was fine, Adam reasoned, they could just sit there for a while. It was comfortable.

The door suddenly slammed open and in came Portman, shouting rather than singing, "We are the champions!" His eyes sought out Adam's, who immediately knew what he was about to do. Portman lunged as he hollered, "_My friends_!" Before Banks could move, Portman held him in a headlock.

"We'll keep on fighting!" And there was Fulton, arms spread wide. He sprang on top of Portman, who crashed onto the ground, still holding onto Adam who toppled as well. "_'Till the end_!" Both Bash Brothers startled to wrestle, Banks caught in the middle.

As Charlie laughed for the first time that day, nearly falling off of the bed in hysterics, Adam whined, "_Get off of me_!"

Comfortable indeed.

* * *

"You broke his nose."

Charlie chewed his breakfast the following morning as he looked up, watching Larson take a seat next to Julie, opposite him. She smiled in hello, which Larson returned, before he turned back towards Charlie. "He's not happy," he told Captain Duck, talking about McGill. "Watch your back, man."

"Thanks," Charlie couldn't help but grin, ignoring Julie's questioning look. Larson looked at Adam, who sat beside Charlie. Though he didn't ask, Adam knew he wanted to know whether everything was alright between them. Banks nodded; after all, McGill had been the one to take it one step too far.

Adam suddenly noticed someone heading their way. He nudged Charlie in his side, who looked at him, "What?"

Before he could respond, a throat was cleared. They all turned to see Linda. Charlie smiled, until he noticed the look on her face.

"We need to talk," Linda told him softly, before she eyed the rest. "In private."

_This is not good._


	12. a martyr for love

**AN:** Hey, guys! Surprised to see me? I bet. I'm so sorry for the lack of updates. I've been so swarmed with work that I didn't have the time to. Updates will be a lot more inconsistent now, but I haven't given up on this fic! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I'd love to see more!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_12. _a martyr for love

* * *

"I wanted to tell you."

Linda's eyes burned as they looked at him, and he tried his best not to look away. When she was like this, he knew the best thing he could do was look her straight in the eye and try to fix things. He might not be an expert on girls, but running away with his tail between his legs probably wouldn't be a good idea. No matter how much he wanted to.

"When?" she asked, to which he shrugged, unsure of what else to do. His girlfriend's shoulders slumped, defeated, as she sighed. "I would have understood." Something in the way she said that made him wince, made him wish someone could invent some kind of time machine so he could change the past. Unfortunately for him, there was no such thing.

"I know," Charlie said, quickly. He wanted to remedy the situation, but he had no idea how. He knew he should have told her about his father, and the real reason why he hadn't been able to go to dinner with her parents, but he hadn't. And now he was paying for it.

"And I have to hear it from Julie! She thought I already knew. It was so embarrassing, Charlie."

He kept quiet, not really wanting to deal with her wrath at the moment. He just wanted to know how to fix this. If he even could fix this.

Linda pursed her lips and, knowing this wasn't a good sign, Charlie braced himself, prepared for the worst.

"I think we should take a break."

Charlie stared. "Sorry?" He was sure he hadn't heard her right. It couldn't be right. Linda folded her arms across her chest, defiant. "I think we should take a break," she repeated. As her boyfriend, or ex, gaped at her, she frowned. "We've barely seen each other since school began, Charlie. We've barely had any time for one another. And now you won't even tell me what's going on with your life?"

"I can change." Charlie didn't want to think about how that was such a cliché thing to say.

Linda shook her head, determined. "I think a break will be good for us. Just, be apart from each other for a while. And in a few weeks, we'll see, okay?" She had already made up her mind and Charlie knew it. She leant forward and kissed his cheek softly, smiled sadly up at him and then turned to go. "I've got class. I'll see you around."

Charlie swallowed hard, torn between confused and hurt. "Yeah, okay."

_Shit._

_

* * *

_

"Anyone seen Charlie?"

Connie dropped herself into a seat opposite of Adam, who'd been in a conversation with Larson. Julie opted to sit next to his friend, and he vaguely heard her ask Larson about homework. Just as he was about to reply and tell Connie no, he hadn't seen Charlie, they were interrupted.

Guy stormed into the cafeteria and came to an abrupt halt near Connie. "Connie, I'm sorry." He looked right at her, as if she was the only one there. Connie turned to face him, a bit startled. Guy continued, looking as though he was about to lose his nerve if he didn't say what he wanted to say, "I've been such an asshole. I never should have broken up with you."

Adam felt a bit uneasy, knowing this was something personal between the two. He shared a look with Julie, who looked torn between wanting to punch Guy or hug him for finally realizing what an idiot he's been. Connie stayed quiet, her face emotionally blank, but Adam could see her eyes shining. He didn't really want to see her cry but stayed put nonetheless, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I was jealous," Guy admitted and he looked at Adam for a split second before he turned back at Connie, looking at her intensely. "Of Adam, and the time you'd spent with him when I wasn't there. I was afraid you'd break up with me for him."

"That's ridiculous," Adam was the first to break the tension, unable to keep his mouth shut. He would have never thought he'd been the reason for their break up. He turned towards Connie, "I love you, Con, but like a sister." Connie smiled at him, reassuring him that she knew he didn't like her like that. Guy smiled too, more relieved than anything. "I know, Adam, and I'm sorry."

Connie waited a beat before she reached out and took Guy's hand. She stood up from her seat, "Let's talk somewhere more private," she suggested, not wanting to bother their friends with their issues. Guy nodded, and with a goodbye, the two of them left. Adam knew they'd be alright.

He then realized Larson had been there the whole time, witnessing what they all assumed to be their make up. "You okay, man?" he asked, to which Larson looked at him, grinning. "Yeah, of course. Connie's a great girl, but you had to be blind not to see how she felt about Germaine." Adam agreed, relieved his friend wasn't upset. He'd known Larson had a thing for his teammate. "Besides," Larson continued, "If I'd dated her, Conway would have had more reasons to try and kick my ass."

"Trust me," Julie said, dryly. "He doesn't need a reason."

"It's my good looks and charm, isn't it?" Larson countered, to which she laughed. Julie quickly sobered when she remembered something. "Anyone seen our captain? He wasn't in class today."

Adam had noticed. "Think it had to do with Linda?" he finally asked, to which Julie immediately looked guilty. She chewed on the inside of her cheek before she looked up and noticed Adam's stare. "She's angry," she told him after a pause, "I was talking about Charlie's dad, but Charlie hadn't told her about him."

Adam was surprised. Why wouldn't Charlie tell his girlfriend about his father? He had no problems doing so last night, when he'd told him, Portman and Fulton all about it after Fulton had asked. All three boys had listened intently as their captain ranted about his dad—George—until Guy had walked inside and requested Charlie to get back to their dorm, as he really didn't want Coach Orion, or anyone on the faculty, to catch them out of bed. He wondered where Charlie was, tempted to look for him.

"I hope he's okay," Julie sighed as she drummed her fingers on the table. She continued to do this for several seconds before Adam realized she was staring at him. Knowing she wanted something from him that had to do with Charlie, he sighed. "Why am I always the one that has to go find him?" He asked, despite the fact he'd been thinking about doing it anyway.

"Because he's your best friend," Julie pointed out.

"Sucks to be you, man." Larson laughed.

Just as Adam was about to reply, he noticed Linda out of the corner of his eye. "Linda!" He called out, trying to gain her attention. She looked at him, hesitated, and then walked towards him slowly. Too slow, he thought.

"Hi," Linda looked somewhat nervous, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Do you know where Charlie is?" Julie asked, taking charge. Adam smiled.

"No," Linda's lips were set in a thin line. Even though he didn't know her well, Adam knew she was annoyed. "We broke up."

"What?" Both Adam and Julie chorused, almost dumbly.

"We broke up," Linda repeated, before she shifted the books in her arms. "Look, I have to go, okay? Bye."

_Well_, Adam thought as he exchanged a look with his teammate.

_Shit._

_

* * *

_

One arm slung behind his head, Charlie stared at the ceiling as he glided over the ice. He'd been at the rink for about two hours now, shooting pucks in the net. _It was a lot easier without a goalie_, he laughed inwardly. He'd skipped most of his classes, but that was the last thing on his mind right now.

"Charlie," _Ah, busted. _Charlie turned his head to see Adam leaning against the side of the rink, and he knew the inevitable was about to come: the _"I pity you"_ speech. By the look on Banksie's face, he knew what happened. He skated towards his friend, disregarding his stick and gloves onto the ice.

"Banksie, what's up?" He asked, cheerfully.

Adam raised an eyebrow. "You okay, man?"

Charlie rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to say, preppy?" He shrugged, "I'm heartbroken? Not really. You know, there's more than one girl in this school. I'll find someone else in no time." He turned his back on Adam, not really wanting to see him. Or have Adam see him. He was angry, of course. More than anything, but he didn't want to let anyone see. He could deal with this on his own.

"If you say so," Adam knew better than to believe that kind of macho bullshit. But if Charlie didn't want to tell him how he really felt, who was he to tell him different?

Charlie needed a distraction, and he knew it. He suddenly turned around to where his friend stood, the look on his face different, as if he had some kind of grand scheme. Adam instantly knew what the look on his face meant and was tempted to run away like hell. "Matter of fact," Charlie grinned, looking far too excited. His skate slid a little further than intended and he almost tripped, had Adam not taken a hold of his arm to balance him. "I think you should try out dating yourself."

"What?" Adam frowned. "No, Charlie, I'm not interested-"

"What, in girls? I don't believe that. You know, I think I know the perfect girl for you. And even better, I know she has an equally hot friend for me. We could go on, what do they call it? A double date."

"Charlie-" Adam tried again, but Charlie interrupted, "Come on, Banksie. Just once."

He needed this. Perfect opportunity to get over Linda, right? Banks still looked dubious; Charlie clasped his hands together. "Please?" He smiled as wide as he could. "_For me_?" He knew as soon as he said that, Banks would crack. Always the martyr, Adam Banks, the good friend.

"I hate you," was all Adam could come up with. Charlie smiled in triumph, happy he'd won. "Great! I'm going to go change." And with that, he skated away before his best friend could change his mind.

_What the hell did I just agree to?_ Adam groaned to himself.

_Shit._


	13. secret

**AN:** And here's another chapter for you all. I have the week off from work/college/etc so you'll probably see another update later this week. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to. I really want to know what everyone thinks.

To**8JbFbAbM9**, I'm glad to see you again! Glad to know I still have a loyal reader. Yes, I couldn't have Connie and Guy apart for too long. I think they're great together. But is it the end of Connie/Larson? Who knows. (Oh, right, I do!)

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_13. _secret

* * *

Friday came way too early.

With his hands in his pockets, Adam began to wonder why he came. Of course, he'd been wondering this during the entire movie and the walk back to school too, but that didn't matter. Next to him was a pretty blonde who he'd seen in classes though had never spoken to. Unable to help but glance at her, he frowned as he realized he probably should have paid attention when the girls had introduced themselves about two hours ago.

He'd forgotten her name.

Again.

That, however, wasn't the only problem. Nameless was more shy than her counterpart (whose name Adam also didn't know) and hadn't spoken in about ten minutes. Meanwhile, Charlie and his date were chatting as if they'd known each other their entire lives.

As if she'd read his mind, Nameless turned to him. "So, Adam," she smiled at him, obviously uncomfortable. "How long have you played hockey?"

Oh, right, they'd been talking about ice hockey.

Before he could answer, Charlie did. "About eight years, right, Banksie?" He didn't even let Adam reply before he continued, "Yeah, his dad got him into it on an early age. He wanted Adam to play for the Hawks, like his brother, but we managed to snatch him up. Hey, how is he, anyway?"

Adam blinked as he realized Charlie was asking him about his brother. "Fine," he answered, a bit baffled his friend had just told some random girl his entire life story.

"He's a great guy. Like Adam, don't you agree, Karen?"

Karen. That was her name.

"Yes," his date immediately responded. Adam smiled at her, uncertainly. "Thank you," he answered politely. She beamed at him.

"Oh, we're back at school," Charlie's date piped up.

"Guess the date is over," Adam's date—shit, what was her name again, Kelly?—replied, looking at him pointedly. Adam wondered what she wanted when he noticed Charlie leaning over to peck his date on the cheek.

Adam held out his hand instead. His date stared at it before she shook it, uncertain. "Uh, I had a nice time. We should do this again sometime. Bye."

"Bye," he replied, lamely. His date looked at him for a while longer before she followed her friend inside.

Adam was well aware of Charlie staring at him. "What?" He asked, to which his friend shook his head and headed inside.

_Glad that's over._

_

* * *

_

"How did the date go?"

Julie asked as soon as Charlie dropped into a seat next to her. He groaned in reply, placing his head in his arms.

"Not great?"Julie guessed, unable to keep from smiling.

"Horrible," Charlie's reply was muffled by his arms, and so Julie placed a hand under his chin to force his head up. Charlie batted her hand away before he continued, "He couldn't even remember her name. _Karen_, what's so difficult about that?"

"Guess you won't be going on a second one," Julie shrugged.

"Good guess, Gaffney." Charlie rolled his eyes. He'd be lucky if either of those girls would even consider talking to him in the nearby future. He sighed, taking a look around the cafeteria to see where the rest of his team had gone. He noticed Connie and Guy were at the same table, only a few seats away, staring into each other's eyes with a lovesick smile on both their faces. _Disgusting_, Charlie thought. He also caught sight of Luis near Mindy, but couldn't find any of the others. He wondered where everyone was _("Wait, it's Saturday. They're probably still in bed_"_)_ before he felt someone poke him. He turned back to Julie.

"Look, Charlie." Julie scooted closer, and he watched as she looked around suspiciously. He raised an eyebrow before she turned back to him, leaning in. He noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Linda, looking in their direction, not exactly pleased. He wondered why before he realized the position he and Julie were in almost made it look as though they were about to kiss. Charlie grinned, pleased with his ex girlfriend's reaction. '_Hey_,' he wanted to scream at her, '_you're the one that broke up with me, remember? If I want to kiss Julie, I will!' _Except he didn't want to, but that was an entire different story.

Julie hit him over the head. "Ow!" He reacted immediately, jerking away from her as he rubbed his forehead and glared at her. "Pay attention!" she commanded, motioning him closer again. He rolled his eyes before he obeyed, and Julie took another look around before she finally spoke, "Have you ever considered that," she paused, and Charlie stared at her, nonplussed. "Well. That Adam might like.."

"Brunettes?" Charlie supplied, when Julie didn't continue.

"No!" Julie shot him a look of irritation. "_Boys_. That he might _like_ boys."

Charlie looked at her as if he had no idea what the hell she'd just said. Finally, he snorted. "No way. He would have told me if he did."

"Would he?" Julie asked, still quietly. She gazed over at Connie and Guy, who were still too caught up in each other to notice anything else. "Maybe he doesn't want anything to know."

"He'd tell _me_." Charlie repeated, stubbornly. It couldn't be true, right? Adam would have told him, Charlie knew he would.

"It would explain some things," Julie said, as if she hadn't heard him. "Why he's never dated. Why he doesn't even look twice at a pretty girls like the rest of you idiots. The way he dresses."

"He's dressed like that since he was ten!" Charlie protested, as Julie continued, "And his hair!"

"Whose hair?" They were interrupted by Larson, who took a seat opposite them. He took a look at Connie and Guy who were a few seats away and grimaced at their public display of affection. Charlie pointed a finger at him, "Larson's got ridiculous hair and he's not gay!"

Larson blinked. "Are we talking about Adam?"

"Yes," Julie ignored her team captain and directed herself towards the Hawk. "Have you ever seen him with a girl?"

"Besides you, Moreau and Conway over there?" Larson grinned as Charlie glared at him, "No. More interested in his hockey stick than anything."

"Maybe he's asexual," Julie mused. Charlie threw his hands up, "Why are we discussing this at breakfast?"

"Bad date?" Larson guessed, to which Julie nodded. Charlie scowled, "Couldn't even remember her name. Karen, it's not that difficult!"

As Charlie grumbled the name again, Larson exchanged a look with Julie, who shrugged. "He's kind of stuck on her name," she explained.

Charlie rolled his eyes before he turned back to Larson, irritated, "Don't you have other friends you can sit with?"

Larson smirked, "_Other _friends?" he asked, "Does that mean we're friends, Conway?"

"I was referring to Julie," Charlie lied, though couldn't deny Larson had got him there. Despite the fact he still couldn't get on with him, he was slowly beginning to see Larson as one of them. Damn, where had his brain gone? He couldn't possibly trust a Hawk, right?

"To answer your question, McGill isn't over the fact you broke his nose and banned me from sitting with them for the time being." Larson didn't look that upset, which Charlie had to comment on. "You're not bothered?"

"Nah," the Hawk answered. "He'll come around."

"How do you know?" Charlie asked, interested and glad to have another topic of conversation.

"He's been my best friend for years." Larson answered, as if this explained everything. For Charlie, it didn't. "That supposed to mean anything? He's an ass."

"It should," Larson replied, looking him straight in the eye. Charlie frowned and had to look away; turning to his left, he noticed Adam was heading their way. At the same time, Julie stood up from her seat. "I'm going to find Scooter. I'll see you later. Hi, Adam!"

"Hey," Adam greeted, smiling as the girl pecked his cheek before she hurried out. Charlie raised his hand for a half-hearted wave before he turned to his best friend.

"You suck."

Adam sat down, "Good morning to you too." He replied, briefly glancing over at Larson who was looking at the two of them amused.

"Good morning nothing. What the hell was that last night, man?" Charlie asked, irritated.

"A date?" Adam guessed.

"A date? A date, he says! Banks, you couldn't even remember her name. You asked her _thrice_."

"I did?" Adam shrugged, he couldn't remember. "Does it matter? Ellie said she had a good time."

"Karen," Larson piped up, unable to hide his smile.

Adam raised an eyebrow, confused. Charlie was tempted to hit him as he stared at his friend in disbelief. "Her name was _Karen_."

"Oh," Adam didn't really know what to say to that. Fortunately for him, Larson burst out laughing at that moment.

"That's fucking hilarious," he said. "Man, I wish I could have been there."

"No, you don't." Charlie immediately answered. He shot Banks another glare.

"It wasn't that bad!" Adam protested.

"_You shook her hand_!"

By now, Larson was trying to stop laughing by coughing extremely loudly. "Allergies," he told a random passerby who asked if he was okay.

"I told you I wasn't interested!" Adam tried to defend his actions again.

"You could have at least acted like it! I had to answer for you!"

"Who asked you to?"

"When someone asks you a question, you answer!"

"I was about to, when you did!" Adam was vaguely aware noticed people had begun to stare.

"What's this, a lover's tiff?" Both Ducks came to a halt when they heard a laugh, and they turned to see Rick Riley and his posse.

"Shut up and leave, Riley," Charlie scowled, not in the mood. Adam wisely kept his mouth shut, but looked as if he wanted to say the same. Larson, though still amused, was eyeing the Warriors warily.

"What did you just say, Conway?" Riley sneered, and Charlie stood up from his seat. Riley was taller by an inch, but he didn't care at that moment.

"I think he told you to shut up and leave, Riley," came another voice. Charlie smiled when he saw Fulton, with Portman a few steps behind. Riley's sneer increased, but he wasn't dumb enough to go up against the Bash brothers, even with Cole by his side.

"Let's go," he told the Warriors, before he turned to Charlie. "This isn't over, Captain Duck."

"Sure it is," Charlie replied easily. He sat back down when the Warriors left, this time with Portman and Fulton next to him.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Adam cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry I ruined your date, Charlie."

Charlie shrugged, "It's okay, Banksie. Doesn't matter."

"After all that, that's it?" Larson sounded somewhat disappointed. Charlie didn't bother to hide his annoyance and flipped him off.

"What're they fighting about now?" Fulton asked him. Larson grinned, "Their date."

Portman looked delighted, "You went on a date?"

"Double date," Charlie answered. He was suddenly reminded of his conversation with Julie and couldn't help but glance at Adam, who seemed lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't like boys, Charlie was sure of it. Adam would tell him.

"Yeah?" Fulton seemed interested now, "How'd it go?"

In reply, Charlie groaned and Adam sighed. Larson was all smiles.

"That good, huh?" Portman laughed.

"Let me tell you a story," Charlie began, sarcastically. "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Karen."

* * *

"I think I'm in love with Billy."

Julie choked in the water she had just consumed, which caused her to have a fit of coughs. With tears in her eyes from shock, she managed to squeeze out, "_What_?"

Connie quicky patted her friend on the back, though this didn't do any good with the amount of pads Julie was wearing. As soon as she could breathe properly again, Julie stared at her friend and repeated, "What?"

"I think I'm in love with Billy," Connie said, again. Julie didn't know what to say.

"But," she finally managed, "What about Guy?"

"Guy and I broke things off," Connie said, with a shrug. "He knows how I feel."

"But you just got back together!" Julie wasn't sure why she was reacting so heavily. Something about this didn't sit well with her.

"It wasn't working out," her friend replied easily.

"But," Julie stuttered, not sure what to say.

"But what?" Connie looked at her, as if she expected her to say something. Julie opened her mouth again, but nothing came out. To her luck, Guy skated over at that time, saving her from further embarrassment.

To her surprise, Guy leaned over and kissed Connie quickly before he smiled at Julie, "Coach said to hurry up. We're starting again." With that, he put on his helmet before he moved back to his spot.

Julie stared at Connie, her mouth in a thin line. "Connie Moreau," she huffed.

"Okay, " Connie started out, slowly. "So I lied."

"Why would you do that?" Julie wasn't sure whether she was angry or relieved. Maybe a bit of both.

"Because it's so easy to see that you like him, Julie!" Connie exclaimed a little too loudly, and Julie winced when she noticed about half the team staring at them. Connie shrugged, "I just wanted you to admit it."

"I don't like him. I'm with Scooter." Julie told her sternly. Connie was about to protest when Julie held up her hand, "Look, Con, I can't give up the guy I'm with for a silly crush, okay? It took Scooter long enough to ask me out and I'm happy with him."

"What if you could be happier?" Connie tried, but Julie shook her head, not wanting to hear it.

"If you really want to play matchmaker," Julie began, as the two of them skating back onto the ice slowly—Coach Orion looked as if he was about to pull them by their ears if they didn't—"How about starting with those two?"

Connie followed her gaze to see Charlie and Adam, standing near each other and talking quietly. "What, you want me to set Charlie or Adam up on a date? I don't know if you heard, but the last one went horrible."

"Trust me, I've heard." Julie rolled her eyes. "But that's not quite what I meant."

"Julie Gaffney," Connie mocked, "What's going on in that head of yours?" Before Julie could answer, Orion interrupted. "Gaffney, Moreau, are you quite done?"

"I'll tell you after practice," Julie promised, skating to the goal. Connie nodded, confused as she skated to her position for a scrimmage.  
_  
What're you up to, Jules?_

_

* * *

_

**AN:** Dum, dum, dum! What's Julie up to? Is she planning to murder them? Probably not. Also, just wanted to explain the reason why the "date" was so short: I got bored. Ellie, I mean, Karen wasn't really that fascinating to begin with. Please review! _  
_


	14. kings and queens

**AN:** You know what, I think I've updated more in one week than I have done in a whole month. I think you all owe me a thank you! No, just kidding. Anyway, this chapter is more of a filler. Why? Because I like suspense. And I'm kind of evil. Please review to let me know what you think! I want to know whether you lot are still enjoying this fanfiction.

To **AM83220**, thank you! Yes, poor Larson. But he gives out as good as he gets! I definitely have a soft spot for him. Hopefully you'll like this chapter just as much as the last.  
To **PartyInTheBackBuisnessUpFront**, thank you! Here's an update.  
To **8JbFbAbM8**, you always have so much to say, I have no idea where to start! I love that about your reviews. I love Portman, and Fulton, so I definitely need to write them in my chapters more. Julie is definitely a smart cookie. I believe she's Adam's best girl friend, so she picks up on a lot. Does Adam like Charlie? She probably knows. And I love that you like Larson! I think he's so similar to Charlie in many different ways. When Adam left the Hawks, Larson was mean to him. But when McGill shoved him down, he was worried. It kind of resembles Charlie in D3, where he's angry with Adam and blames him for the pranks even though he should know better. Only difference is that Adam went back to the Ducks/Charlie, but not to the Hawks/Larson.

Thanks for reviewing, you guys! It means a lot.

* * *

**Center of Attention**  
_14. kings and queens  
_

_

* * *

_

"Can someone please tell me why we're here?" Charlie rested his chin in his palm, elbow leaning on his knee as he feigned disinterest. But the truth was far from it; he was just as caught up in the game as the rest of his teammates.

"We need to see how they play, so we'll be ready for them next time." Julie answered, and when he looked at the girl next to him, he noticed she was concentrating on the match just as much as him. Her eyes, however, were focused on one player in particular.

"Really?" Charlie snorted, "Because it seems to me that we're here for him."

"Who?" Julie didn't look at him as she asked. He rolled his eyes.

"I think his name starts with an L and ends with 'he once pushed me in a puddle'."

"With mud," Adam added, sitting beside Julie. He grinned as Charlie mouthed 'shut up'.

"I remember that," Jesse laughed from next to Adam. "You sprained your ankle. Couldn't play for a week."

"Not that he could play anyway," Adam corrected, eyes on the ice hockey game. The Hawks (now called JV, a title the Ducks had gotten rid of months before) were playing their second match of the season, with a winning score of 9-2. "You sucked, Charlie."

"Thanks," Charlie grumbled, sarcastically. He turned to his oldest friend, "Why are you here anyway?"

"Larson asked me." Jesse told him easily.

Charlie looked surprised. "Since when do you guys talk?"

Jesse answered after a while, distracted by the game. "Connie's birthday."

"Come on, Charlie." Julie finally piped up again, "He's not the little kid who bullied you anymore."

"Fine," Charlie sulked. But he'd long since given up on being angry with his old rival; like he'd realized at breakfast, Larson wasn't all bad. He just liked to complain about him, really.

"He's good," Jesse commented off-handedly.

Of course, at that, Charlie couldn't help but murmur, "I'm better."

At that exact moment, someone of the opposite team decked Larson and the Hawk flew right into the goal post. Charlie sprang from his seat before he even realized he had, and then winced when he felt Julie squeeze his arm in panic. He soon realized there was a reason for that panic. "He's not getting up!" she almost squeaked, and Charlie exchanged a glance with Jesse over Adam's head.

McGill had apparently forgotten about his feud with his long time friend and was at his side immediately, but when he couldn't get Larson to wake up, he burst into a fit of anger and went after the guy who'd made the foul. Charlie grimaced as McGill yelled and began to shove, causing a brawl between the two teams.

What worried him more was the fact Larson still hadn't woken up and was now being carried out. "Let's go," he told his friends, wanting to know what was going on. He managed to make his way through the crowd, knowing that at least Julie was right behind him because she still hadn't let go of his arm.

_Stupid Hawks._

_

* * *

_

After an hour of waiting on any sort of news in the hospital area of Eden Hall, Charlie was beginning to feel anxious. It was Saturday; he should be outside, doing whatever, maybe even visit his mom. But no, he was here instead. Great way to spend his day. _Stupid Hawks_, Charlie couldn't help but think again. _More trouble than they're worth._

Julie sprang to her feet when she noticed the nurse, and Adam was quick to follow. Charlie's movements were a bit more sluggish; he didn't get up until Jesse pulled him up by his sleeve.

"Right," the snobby nurse said as she chewed on some gum. It reminded Charlie of a horse. "He can see you now."

"Joy," Charlie muttered, though he didn't hesitate to follow his friends into the room. As soon as he entered, he winced at the state of Larson. The Hawk looked incredibly pale and had a bandage around his head.

"You look like shit," Jesse commented nicely. Larson smiled wryly in thanks.

"You look like Banksie when McGill shoved him into the goal post," Charlie couldn't help but say. Jesse reached out and hit the back of his head. "_Ow_!"

_You deserved that_, Adam mouthed at him as Charlie glared.

"Thanks, Conway," Larson groaned, "We needed things to be awkward."

"You're welcome," Charlie smiled. Again, he felt a hand thwack against his head. "Damn it, Jesse!"

"Wasn't me," his old teammate grinned. Charlie turned to look at Julie, who smiled innocently.

"Do it again," Larson smirked, "It makes me feel better."

"Funny," Charlie rolled his eyes as he finally sat down in a seat. "How long will you be in here?"

"A day." Larson shrugged. "Could let me out now, I feel fine." He shifted in his hospital bed and winced.

"Liar," Julie accused. He smiled at her before he turned to Adam, "Did we win?"

"Yeah, man." Adam nodded, telling him not to worry about it. Larson visibly relaxed. As the five of them sat in an uncomfortable silence, Charlie wondered whether McGill or any of the other Hawks had already visited Larson. Probably not, they'd been waiting for over an hour and he hadn't seen any of them. Still, the way McGill had reacted to Larson's injury told him the Hawk definitely did have a heart. _However small it may be_, Charlie thought. He still raged over the way McGill had treated Adam years ago.

"Right," Larson shifted in his bed again, before he continued bluntly. "Either you somehow make this less awkward or get out."

Jesse laughed at his boldness; Charlie, however, stood up. "Nice seein' ya, Larson," he told him, about to leave when Julie took a hold of his arm and made him sit back down. "What?" He asked her, though didn't bother to stand back up, "He said to leave!"

"Billy is injured," Julie reminded him almost harshly. "I'm sure we could stay a while longer."

"Fine," Charlie sulked. He sagged back into his chair. "What do you want to hear, Larson?"

"You tell me. Something funny. Like that time Adam shoved you into the boards with his hockey stick."

Jesse let out a laugh. Adam, however, shot his old friend a look that plainly said he didn't think it was funny. Julie was the only one confused.

"What happened?" she asked, interested.

Larson looked almost eager to retell the story. Charlie made a mental note to hit him when he was better. Hey, it had worked on McGill. "When Adam was still with the Hawks, our first game of the season was against District 5." He waited a bit before Julie nodded, knowing the Ducks previously had another name. "God, they sucked." At this, both former District 5 members rolled their eyes; Jesse with a shake of his head, Charlie with a scowl. "Anyway, Conway finally manages to get a hold of the puck after we score, what, ten goals? He's on his way to the goal and, I won't lie, I thought he'd get it in."

"He didn't?" Julie guessed with look at Charlie, who by now looked like he was pouting. Larson smirked and confirmed, "He didn't. Swings his stick to make the shot," Larson demonstrated by moving his arms in the air, temporarily forgotten about his injury. "And misses completely."

Julie hid a laugh behind her hand. Larson made a sliding motion with his hand, "Then he falls over and smashes right into the boards. It was hilarious."

"And not the first time." Jesse snorted, "Right, Spazway?"

"Shut up, Jess." Charlie replied in a monotone voice.

"So he gets up, and Adam here decides to destroy whatever is left of Conway's dignity and slams into him."

"I was ten!" Adam tried to defend his action of almost six years ago. "Besides, he was fine."

At this, Charlie snorted. He stood up and pulled at the back of his shirt, revealing his back. "Conway, this isn't a strip club," Larson commented dryly as Charlie pointed at his mid-back. When Julie and Jesse leaned in to see whatever he was pointing at, Larson couldn't help but do the same. Julie gingerly touched a small mark on Charlie's back, "Is that a scar?" As tiny as it was, it was definitely there.

"Yep," Charlie confirmed, almost proudly. He turned to Adam and grinned, "Courtesy of one Adam Banks, age ten."

Adam immediately slouched back into his seat, frowning.

"Good job," Larson commented, in mock awe as Charlie readjusted his shirt and sat back down.

"You should have seen them in game when Adam was still with Varsity," Julie commented, the look on her face saying that she remembered well. Charlie didn't need to be reminded; he could recall the fight as if it was yesterday. He couldn't help but look at Adam, who couldn't quite meet his eye.

Another silence washed over them before Larson cleared his throat, "Well, I'm thirsty." he began, "Conway, get me something to drink."

"Why me?" Charlie complained. He stood up anyway, as he didn't want to argue with a sick Larson. Julie would probably glare at him the entire time.

"Coke for me!" Julie called after him. Charlie rolled his eyes and was about to close the door behind him when he heard Adam, "I'll come with you."

He shrugged and waited for his friend to catch up before they embarked on the very short journey to the vending machine that was only a few feet away. Charlie rummaged through his pocket before he realized he had no money. He glanced towards Adam before he noticed the other Duck was holding out a hand with small change. Charlie grinned, "You know me well, Banks." He took the offered money and put it into the machine. As he pushed the buttons to order everyone's drink, he looked back at Adam again. Banks looked incredibly moody, with his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face. He looked as if he was reliving that horrible double date.

"What's up, Banksie?" he asked, knowing something was troubling his friend. Adam looked up, hesitated, and then took his hands out of pockets. Not really knowing what to do with them, he stuffed them back in. Charlie raised an eyebrow, but decided not to push.

"You never told me it left a scar," Adam finally mumbled, looking down.

Charlie blinked a few times before he laughed, "That's what's bothering you? God, preppy. It's nothing, you can barely see it."

"Let me see," Adam almost ordered, to which Charlie shrugged. Balancing a few cans in his left arm, he lifted his shirt again with his right. "See?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. "It's actually kind of cool. Sort of like battle scar."

He suddenly felt a warm palm on his back, and goose bumps spread over his arms when a thumb pressed into the skin where he assumed the scar to be. "Adam," he asked, uncertain. "Why are you poking me?"

"To see if it's real," Adam replied, and Charlie could easily see a smile on his face. He instantly felt more at ease, knowing his friend wasn't upset. And then he knocked his shoulder into Adam's. "You callin' me a liar now, Banks?" Charlie was mock insulted.

"Well," Adam shrugged easily as he took back his hand. "Yeah, _Spazway_."

Charlie laughed, "Whatever, _cake-eater._ Come on, let's head back."

Adam took a few soda cans from his hands and the two of them walked back. After a while, Banks turned to him, but before he could say anything, Charlie nudged an elbow into his side. "I know, Banksie. It's okay." _Nothing compared to what I did to you, right?_

Adam, having no idea what Charlie was thinking, smiled and opened the door that led inside Larson's room. There, both Ducks instantly heard Jesse.

"So Adam stands there, like he's waiting for one of us to kill him, and Charlie goes," Jesse straightened his back and imitated a high voice. "_On behalf of the team, I'd like to say welcome_."

"Are you serious?" Larson laughed, before he directed himself at Charlie, "I thought you'd be the one to try and knock him out cold with your hockey stick or something."

"Me too," Charlie looked to the side to find Adam smiling at him. He scoffed, "Hey, I was a nice kid."

"Yeah, what happened?" Julie asked with an innocent smile. He childishly stuck his tongue out at her.

Larson held his heart, "Beauty, brains and balls. God, Gaffney, you're perfect."

Charlie was the only one to notice his friend shyly ducked her head down. _Please say it isn't so_, he thought. He suddenly remembered yesterday's practice where Julie and Connie had been huddled close. After a while, Connie had yelled out something like, 'it's easy to see you like him'. At first he'd thought it had been about Scooter, he was the logical option, but now? Charlie made a mental note to talk to Connie.

The door creaked and everyone looked to the side. Charlie blinked. _Speak of the_ _devil,_ he thought.

Connie Moreau stuck her head inside, looking around briefly before she realized she was in the right room. "Billy!" she headed inside, with Guy in tow, worry etched onto her pretty face. Again, only Charlie noticed the way Larson immediately smiled wider at seeing her.

_I thought he was over her_? Charlie was so confused. Why was he always the last to know anything? Did this mean Connie, Larson and Julie were in some kind of triangle? But wait, Guy and Scooter were in it too. How did you call a triangle plus two? God, he hated math.

"Charlie?" Adam was the one to shake him from his thoughts. Jesse looked at him, too. "Were you trying to think, Spazway? Careful, you might hurt yourself."

"Ha ha," Charlie muttered, annoyed. What was this, 'piss on Charlie' day? He felt Adam squeeze his shoulder with a hand to calm him before they looked back at Connie.

"We wanted to see how you were," Connie was saying, referring to her and her boyfriend. Guy looked a bit uneasy, but smiled nonetheless. "How are you, man?" he asked, to which Larson shrugged. "I've felt better. But hey, someone get Conway out and we can have a party."

"Okay, that's enough." Charlie scoffed, "I'm out of here. Unless anyone else wants to have a dig at me?"

Again, the door opened. This time, McGill stood in the doorway. If Guy had looked uneasy, it was nothing compared to how the Hawk looked right now. Charlie couldn't help but smile at the adhesive bandage on McGill's nose, from when he'd punched him.

"Perfect timing," Adam laughed in his ear, and Charlie shot him a look that plainly said 'shut up'.

"Hey, Petey," Larson greeted, as if they hadn't been at odds for days. McGill's look instantly turned into one of irritation, "I told you not to call me that." Larson shrugged, not too bothered.

"Wow, awkward," Charlie could hear Julie mumble. He silently agreed.

"I can see you're busy," McGill finally said after a pause, looking at the Ducks with distaste. "I'll leave."

Just as Charlie was about to lift a hand to wave goodbye, Adam shook his head. "No, we were just about to leave."

He vaguely heard McGill murmur, "Good riddance."

So did Jesse. "You have something to say, McGill?" he asked, a hard edge to his voice. McGill snarled, but didn't say anything. He knew better than to go up against Jesse Hall or any of the other Ducks when he was outnumbered.

One by one, everyone wished Larson well and said goodbye. Charlie gave him a mock salute which Larson returned. As he closed the door behind him, he could hear McGill. "I can't believe you let Conway in here."

Larson sounded tired as he answered, "Either shut up or leave, Pete."

Charlie smiled.

* * *

"What do you think?"

As the six of them walked back to their dorms, Connie and Julie trailed behind the male Ducks slowly.

"I don't know, Jules," Connie turned away from her friend to look at the four boys up ahead. Guy had thrown a casual arm around Jesse as the two caught up and talked about something she couldn't hear. Next to Jesse was Adam, who seemed to be listening in on their conversation as he nodded once or twice whenever Jesse asked him something. Last was Charlie, who was on the phone Adam had borrowed him as he leant an arm on Banks' shoulder, talking rapidly to whoever was on the other end. Adam finally turned his head to ask Charlie something, who made a wild gesture with his arm in return. His arm almost hit Banks in the face, but he managed to avoid it by leaning towards Jesse, who in return almost tripped over Guy. A few seconds later, the boys were shoving each other as if they were ten.

Connie couldn't help but smile, hearing Julie sigh in amusement beside her. Yes, those were their boys.

"What if you're wrong?" Connie finally asked, her eyes still on the sight before them. Charlie held Adam in some sort of head lock while still on the phone. Jesse patted Adam on the back and mocked his bad fortune. Guy looked like he wanted to point and laugh.

Julie folded her arms over her chest. "What if I'm _right_?"

_What if, what if, _Connie thought. By now, Adam had escaped and squeezed inbetween Guy and Jesse to escape from their captain.

"Hey!" Charlie shouted, looking back at them. "Mom invited the Ducks for pizza with Bombay, want to come?"

Both girls nodded, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to see their old coach, Charlie's mom and eat free pizza.

"Charlie, give me back my phone!" Adam called out.

"You want your phone, preppy?" Charlie chided, holding it out. As soon as Adam made a grab for it, Charlie kept it out of reach and laughed, "Come get it."

With that, the captain of the Ducks made a break for it. As soon as he realized what was going on, Banks groaned and immediately went after him. Jesse was quick to follow as he quipped, "Cake-eater's gonna kill you, Spaz!" Guy hesitated, looking back at the girls before Connie shooed him away too. With a grin, he ran after the three others with a, "Wait for me!"

"Okay," Connie turned back to Julie before she looped her arm through that of her friend, determinated. "Let's do it."


	15. it'll never be the same

**AN:** Wow, you guys! What is this, _The Attack Of The Reviews_? I don't think I've ever had so many long reviews! I love it, though. I love reading what my readers think of the chapters, so thank you! You're my motivation to write. Ok, this is gonna take a while, but I want to thank you all personally.

To **AM83220**, thank you so much! And I'm glad you caught that, actually. It was indeed a (not so?) subtle dig at how the writers changed Charlie's personality in D3. When I first saw the movie, I couldn't believe this was the same kid from the previous films. Later on, I started thinking: why would the writers do this? All I could think of was Jesse. Charlie portrays a lot of traits Jesse used to have: the aggressiveness, the quick temper. He even calls Adam 'cake-eater' when he teases him about his tie, something Jesse used to do. I think when they cut out Jesse they pretty much gave Charlie some of his traits to make him edgier (and maybe hoping we wouldn't notice Jesse wasn't there). Add that to the fact Charlie discovered his hormones and there you go. But in return, I've made Jesse more forgiving in _COA_, because I honestly doubt the Jesse from D1/D2 would have 'accepted' Larson so easily. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

To **PartyInTheBackBuisnessUpFront**, thank you! Here's another chapter.

To **8JbFbAbM9**, I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, even though I liked that part in the movie (because, hey, it was Adam/Charlie!) it definitely left me with a 'ouch, poor Charlie'! And wow, I hadn't even noticed Charlie taunted Adam like that! I love that, it shows that Charlie was definitely upset/angry. And yet he was still the one to accept Adam first. I love that about Charlie in D1/D2. I'm trying to show more of his personality in those films while still trying to keep him true to how he was in D3. I know what you mean with the comparison between Larson/Charlie. I think the key difference was age. Larson was ten, Charlie was fourteen. I think Larson would have reacted differently had he been older and on a different team. Hawks were definitely bullies and I never saw them as being close, whereas Ducks were taught to 'fly together'. But yes, I did mean the similarities with their situations, not their characters. I think Larson is completely different from Charlie. He smirks too much for starters, lol. But his character always interested me (especially when he showed concern for Adam), so I'm glad you like my view of him! Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

To **jnwrx1**, glad to see you again. Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the way I write. I like trying to think of situations I'd get in with my friends and how I or they would react. Adam and Charlie really do have that underlying best friendship, something I thought they had in the movies too. It wasn't as apparent, but it was definitely there (the scene in D2 with the scouts come in mind). And who knows whether they're in love? Probably not in the movie, Disney isn't that far along yet. But like you said, the author will do what he/she wants. And seeing as I titled this fan fiction as _slash_, well, you know where it's heading! I agree, I think Charlie had a lot of factors that shaped him the way he was in D3. Bombay left, some new school, got his C taken away, best friend on another team. Add that to hormones and you'll have one angry Charlie. People grow up, right? I know I'm not how I use to be at ten. Anyway, I haven't really breached the subject of the fight in COA yet, but like you can see, Charlie still thinks about it. In earlier chapters, it was easy to see Adam still does too. Will it get any sort of focus later on? You can bet on it. And lmao, a three-way with Larson? Hey, I could think about it. I think the guy has enough on his plate though (but that's not a no..). Thank you for your review! I hope you like this next chapter.

To **starielle**, yay a new reader! And thank you, as I told **AM83220**, I'm trying to blend Charlie as how he used to be and how he is now, so I'm glad you think I've done so. And I agree with what you said about Adam. Sometimes, I think he's stronger than Charlie. Despite being cast from his team (both Hawks and Ducks), he never quit. Charlie, however, did. Of course he had his reasons, but I just don't see how anyone can think Adam's the weak one, you know? I feel like he's one of the few Ducks who know how to go up against Charlie when he's being an idiot. I'm glad you love them both and this story! It really makes me happy to see they're still loved in this fandom and I'm not just writing for myself but others too. I'm also glad to see so many people like my view on Larson. I was more impressed by the Hawks than any other rival team the Ducks had, so I had to bring them in. And yay for the rest of the Ducks! I love Julie/Connie/Guy/Jesse the most out of them all, which I'm sure people have noticed by now. I really need to write the others in more, but I'm always afraid I'll screw them up. I mean, what does Luis do besides skate fast and make out with Mindy? Anyway, you'll find out what Julie is up to soon enough! (And lol, I instantly knew what you meant by chest monster. What an accurate description of Charlie in D3). Thanks so much for reviewing! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

And here's the next installment of _Center Of Attention_!

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**Center Of Attention**  
15_. it'll never be the same_

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* * *

_

On Sundays, Eden Hall and all the students it housed took a break. Some slept in late, tired of last night's activities. Others had left the day(s) previous to visit their family. For Julie, it was neither. Her family lived in Maine, as she didn't have the fortune to live in Minnesota, and her Saturday had been anything but exciting. Add the fact she wasn't someone who liked to waste the day in bed, and you could see why she was currently sat at breakfast at 9:00am on a Sunday. But anyone who knew her also knew that this wasn't any different from the weekends before that, because ever since her first year, Julie had developed a routine. And she was not someone who broke routine.

Being out of bed early had its advantages; there were no Ducks around to distract her. She could catch up on some homework (she was a straight A student, she had to maintain her grades). Or she could improve on the ice, as a goal tender.

Or she could hide from her boyfriend.

"Jules?" Julie accidentally bit on the inside of her cheek a little too hard and winced. She looked to her left to see Adam stare back at her, amusement clear in his blue eyes. "You ok?" he asked, and the only thing she could do was nod, trying not to let him show she was in pain due to her clumsiness. Adam looked at her a while longer before he turned back to what she assumed to be his homework.

Adam wasn't one to break routine either. He'd always been an early riser, even when he'd still been with Varsity. Julie had often looked at him on Sundays last year, but not kindly. She'd felt betrayed, and so she'd iced his clothes without any kind of remorse. As soon as she realized Adam wouldn't even look her in the eye anymore, she'd realized what she had done was wrong. It had been hard on her as Adam had been the closest thing she'd had to a guy best friend at the time. But, at the same time, she knew it had been harder on Banks than anyone, to lose everyone he held dear.

Without fully realization it, Julie reached out to take a hold of his hand. Adam looked at her in surprise as she squeezed it. "Julie?"

"It's nothing," she smiled. "Love you."

Adam looked worried by her strange behavior now. It made her heart swell, the sincere way how he cared about his friends. "Love you too, Jules."

"I know," Julie replied, a bit cheekily. He grinned at her, but then his face lit up in surprise. Before she could ask what spooked him, the answer stomped his way up to their table. Charlie sat down in a seat unceremoniously, one shoe in hand as he glared at his sockless foot. Julie could clearly see he was wearing a sock on his other foot, but didn't dare comment on it as Charlie snarled.

"Can't fucking believe it," he mumbled, as if they weren't there.

"Charlie?" Adam was calm as always as he confronted their moody captain.

Said captain didn't bother to look up at his best friend as he tried to tie his shoelaces. It didn't work, he was too angry. "Mom wants to have breakfast," Charlie looked as if he wished he was anyone else at the moment. Julie wondered why breakfast with his mother was so bad, as the entire team had gone for pizza last night and it had been great. Charlie continued, "With _daddy_."

That explained it.

"Want me to come with you?" Julie looked between the two as Adam offered carelessly, watching how Charlie's head immediately shot up, a look of wonder on his face. "Would you?"

As Banks nodded, Julie could visibly see Charlie's fists unclench as he quickly tied his shoes. All of the earlier tension she'd detected in him was gone, as if it had never been there. "No, it's fine, preppy." Charlie finally declined, and even though she could hear mild annoyance in his tone, he looked less angry than before. "Got to do this on my own, you know? At least it's at the diner. I don't want him in my house."

"Will you be okay?" Julie couldn't help but add to the conversation when she could see the frustration build again. Charlie smiled at her, "Yeah, Cat. I'll be back before you know it." He stood up, both shoes on his feet this time as he reached over to kiss the top of her head. He then ruffled her hair affectionately and with a quick, _'I'll see you later,'_ Conway was gone as quick as he'd come.

"I don't know how you do it," Julie sighed a while later as she blew some strands away from her eyes.

Adam regarded her (and her hair) with a faint hint of a smile. "Do what?"

"Deal with his constant mood swings," Julie laughed, "You always know exactly what to tell him."

"Years of practice." Adam teased, "You'll get there, Gaffney." Like his friend had done before him, he ruffled her hair.

It was more than that, Julie knew. She hesitated to ask, but really wanted to know. "How did you become friends?"

Adam blinked at her in surprise. She knew he hadn't expected her to ask that. Finally, he looked into the direction Charlie had gone and smiled. "You remember what Jesse said, when we visited Billy?"

Julie's brow creased as she thought, but then she remembered. "How Charlie was the only one to welcome you?"

Adam nodded. "That was it," he said, simply.

Julie titled her head to the side, "Really?"

"I didn't realize it at the time," Adam confessed. "I was still wary of the Ducks, Charlie included. And it was clear they didn't trust me. My first game there, they didn't even want to pass me the puck." Julie shook her head. Oh, how she wished she could go back in time and hit them all over the head with her hockey stick.

"Jesse was the hardest of them all. I think I wanted his approval more than anyone else's." Adam's voice was soft as he recalled memories from years ago. "I think, at the time, I took Charlie for granted. He often went out of his way to make me feel included, but I was too busy trying to get Jesse to see me as one of them to really notice. I didn't think Charlie being nice to me was anything special. I mean, the entire team was his best friend, what did he need me for?"

"Heart of the team," Julie murmured, fondly. Adam smiled and nodded.

"It wasn't until the Goodwill Games that I realized he was my best friend too. He knew me better than anyone. He was angry for days when I didn't tell coach about my wrist. He gave up his spot for me."

Propping an elbow on the table, Julie rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Listening to Adam made her smile; the way he talked about Charlie was like a breath of fresh air.

"Did that change last year?" she couldn't help but ask, knowing she was breaching a sensitive subject, but wanting to know more.

Adam immediately frowned. "In a way," he told her, honest. He had no reason to lie. Julie noticed he looked somewhat conflicted; as if he were reliving the year he'd spent with Varsity.

"Things change," he finally said, shrugging. "But Charlie's still Charlie, attitude problems or not." He shared a grin with her, before his expression softened. "He's still my best friend."

Julie watched him closely for a while before she smiled gently. "You care about him a lot," she observed quietly. At this, she could see Adam knit his eyebrows, bemused. "Yeah, I guess." He looked at her oddly as if he didn't really know what she was on about, but he didn't quite meet her eyes and, unbeknownst to him, Julie's lips twitched to smile.

Adam opened his mouth to say something else, but he didn't get far as he was interrupted. "Hey," It was Larson, the Hawk seemingly coming out of nowhere as he sat down at their table. Julie watched him curiously as he looked around suspiciously. Banks raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"Yeah," Larson grinned swiftly. "I'm hiding from the nurse. Wouldn't leave me alone, I think she has a crush on me." When he realized said nurse hadn't followed him, he looked more at ease. "I had to get out, man. I was suffocating in there."

"How are you feeling?" Julie asked, eyeing the bandage still around his head.

"Better," Larson said, but before he could expand on his answer, they were yet again interrupted by someone. This time it was Scott Vanderbilt, and Julie wanted to shrink into her seat when she noticed her boyfriend heading her way.

"Julie," Scooter looked pleased to see her, taking a seat beside her. He nodded to Larson before he eyed Adam. "Banks," Scooter acknowledged him with a smile. "Stealing my girlfriend?"

Adam rolled his eyes good-humouredly, "Why does everyone think I'm after their girlfriend?"

"It's the hair," Larson couldn't help but jump in.

Julie suddenly realized how odd this was. Adam, her best guy friend on who she used to have a (very short-lived) crush on during the Goodwill Games, was sat on her left. Scooter, her boyfriend who had been nothing but amazing ever since he asked her out after the JV-Varsity match, was sat on her right. And then there was Billy, her _friend_ who she couldn't stop thinking about ever since he'd called her perfect, sat in front of her.

No, not awkward at all.

"Hey," Scooter murmured into her ear, "I just wanted to say hi. I got to go, I have practice." He tilted her head sideways for him to kiss her, a kiss she couldn't bring herself to return. Her boyfriend didn't seem to notice and inclined his head to Adam and Larson, who both nodded in return. And with that, he was gone.

"I have to return this book," Adam suddenly remembered, and he too stood up. "I'll see you later?" Again, Larson nodded, before Adam leaned down to peck Julie's cheek in goodbye. He, too, was gone within seconds.

Larson suddenly checked his watch. Julie knew he had to go before he'd even said so. "Pretty sure they've noticed I'm gone by now," he laughed. He stood up too, before he watched her with a grin. "I'd kiss you, but I think your boyfriends already covered that." At this, Julie could feel her cheeks heat up.

"Get out of here," she laughed, somewhat forced. Larson smirked before he reached over to mess her hair up, much like Charlie and Adam had done before him. "I'll see you, Gaffney."

As he walked out of the hall, Julie sighed and rested her head in her arms. A guilty knot sat in her stomach, telling her she was a bad, bad person for not appreciating what she had with Scooter more.

Sunday was officially no longer her favorite day.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but we're closed," someone—Casey, of course—said as she opened the door.

Connie smiled as she rollerbladed inside the diner, "I know."

Charlie turned in his chair so quick he almost fell off. Connie stifled her laughter. As soon as he got over the initial shock of seeing her, he jumped from his seat, walked over towards her and pulled her into him for a hug. "Thank God," he murmured into her ear when they parted.

"Hi," Connie chirped cheerfully. She tucked some strands of her hair behind her ear as her eyes flickered to the table Casey and Charlie's dad sat at, but when George turned into his seat, her head snapped back to Charlie. She didn't want to be caught staring.

"What're you doing here?"

"Well, Adam told me you were having breakfast with your mom, so I figured I'd come see if I could convince Casey to cook for me too." Connie decided that telling a white lie wouldn't hurt.

Charlie, knowing perfectly well she only came to see whether he was alright, smiled at her fondly. "Sorry, Cons, but we were just about done."

"Connie, dear, how are you?" Casey finally came over. She embraced the girl before she stepped back. Charlie's father had also decided to see what the commotion about.

"Hello," George held out a hand for her to take. She did, though begrudgingly. "I'm George, Charlie's _father_." The way he'd put an emphasis on father had Connie raise an eyebrow. Not to come off as rude however, she smiled and half-heartedly shook his hand. "I'm Connie Moreau," she told him in her _'I'm- totally-faking-this-excitement-but-you-won't-be-able-to-tell'_ voice. She'd used it often enough on Guy when they had broken up.

Unable to help herself, she looked the man up and down. "I can see where Charlie got his good looks from," she told him politely, lips quirked. Her eyes, however, were on the woman she'd known for years. George didn't notice as he turned to smile at his son, but Casey smiled at her like a mother would to her daughter. That's what the Conway's were to Connie: family. And like hell would she let some guy titled Charlie's father only by blood waltz in and ruin that for her or them.

"Are you his girlfriend?" George finally asked, interested.

Charlie snorted, and she elbowed him in the side. "He wishes," Connie sniffed, twisting her nose as she smiled.

Charlie threw an arm around her and pulled her into his side. "All the time," he teased. "Guy's one lucky son of a—"

"Charlie!" Casey quickly warned.

Charlie held up his free hand, "I was going to say incredible woman! I love Guy's mom."

As Connie watched son and mother interact, she noticed George was still looking at her oddly. She felt uncomfortable under the man's scrutinizing gaze. As if realizing this, Charlie's squeezed her shoulder and she saw him tighten his mouth in annoyance. George, noticing the hostile behavior, finally turned to look away.

There was something off about this man. Maybe it was her imagination, but he didn't seem too keen about meeting Charlie's friends. But she didn't want to judge the man, she'd just met him.

"Mom, can I go back to school with Con?" Charlie finally asked. Connie quickly intervened, "We could help with the dishes first," she said, not wanting to 'dine and ditch' even if she didn't eat anything.

"No, that's okay, sweetie. Enjoy your Sunday," Casey turned down the offer without much hassle. Connie could see George wasn't too pleased about the fact his son was about to leave again, but he made no attempts to stop them.

"I'll see you at your game tomorrow, Charlie," George said. Charlie nodded tersely as he kissed his mother's cheek. "Bye, mom. See ya, George." Before Connie could say anything, he steered her out of the diner by her shoulders, taking his rollerblades from the counter as he did.

It wasn't long before the two of them were on their way back to Eden Hall. At any other time, Connie knew Charlie would have wanted to stay with his mom for a bit. His dad was bothering him more than she had realized. "You okay?" she asked after they'd skated in a comfortable silence for a while. He didn't answer her at first, and she was just about to drop the subject when he cleared his throat.

"I want to like him," he told her. He couldn't look at her and didn't continue, but Connie didn't mind. She knew what he wanted to say: _but I can't_.

So she changed the subject. "Up for some ice cream?"

Charlie grinned. "Hell yeah."

* * *

Casey turned away from the window as soon as her son rolled out of view. As soon as she directed herself to the man before her, the smile on her face had gone. "I'd like you to leave now," she told him, coolly.

"I am _not_ a bad man," George replied evenly. "I've changed, Casey." Even though his demeanor was calm, the tone he'd used on her made her flinch. This was the man she'd loved for years, but all she felt for him now was hate. Casey didn't know what to think of him anymore. All she could think of was her son, and the amount of stress this put on him.

A part of her told her she was selfish. She should be happy. George had made the effort to change for his son, and now he wanted to befriend him, make up for all those lost years. It was something she'd dreamed about hearing for years. But now that he was finally here, all she wanted for him was to leave. But what kind of parent would she be if she denied her son the chance of getting to know his father, even if Charlie didn't seem too keen on the idea? She knew that deep down he wanted to, it was just hard on him.

And that's what scared her.

"Thank you for breakfast. I'll see you at the game tomorrow, Casey." George looked at her for a while before he turned and walked out of the diner. Casey closed her eyes to keep her temper in check as she tried to calm down. Now that he was gone, it was as if she could breathe easier. Still with a heavy heart, she started to collect the dishes to wash them off. But all she could think of was one thing.

_You're not taking my son_.


	16. boom

**AN:** Hey, guys! Just a heads up, but this will be the last chapter for a while. Maybe a week, but I'm thinking two. I'm pretty busy at the moment! Please read and review, thank you!

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**Center Of Attention**  
_16. boom_

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"I think we should quit Eden Hall. Start a rock band."

"You can't sing," was all Guy had to say to that. "Or play an instrument."

Charlie looked as if he wanted to protest, but then realized his old friend was right. Instead, he turned to look at the third occupant in the room from his sprawled position on his bed.

"Don't even think about it, Conway." Adam didn't bother to look up from his homework. He was sat at the (small) desk in the room Charlie shared with Guy, skimming a book Charlie had yet to open this year.

"Y'all are funny," Dwayne laughed in his familiar southern drawl from at the end of Guy's bed. Guy, laid on the bed with one arm behind his head, was giving the cowboy little room to sit. Dwayne didn't seem to mind and Guy was too busy entertaining himself with Dwayne's cowboy hat to notice.

Both Adam and Dwayne had left their dorm in order to avoid their roommates, Portman and Fulton, and the music they liked to blast during their study session. When Adam had, irritably, requested Portman to get the hell out and bother Fulton, Dean had told him the Bash Brothers liked to study alone. If not, they would surely end up distracting each other.

_Because_, Adam thought sarcastically, _music on high volume doesn't distract you at all._

"I'm sick of homework," Charlie finally whined. It was an hour before their match, and after a day of school, he really didn't want to cram for some quiz they all knew their teacher was going to give them the next day.

"Have you even opened your textbook?" Banks asked, still not turning to look at him.

"Yeah!" Charlie lied. Adam turned in his seat. Charlie caved under his stare, "Ok, no."

Guy sniggered until he, too, cowered under Banks' glare. "What?" he spluttered. "I studied yesterday!"

Adam murmured something that sounded like '_hopeless_' before he buried his nose back into the book. "I saw that, Charlie," he said, when Charlie flipped him off behind his back.

Charlie didn't know how Banksie did it.

"I like country better," Dwayne suddenly said.

Guy threw a pillow at him. Dwayne fell off the bed. Charlie laughed.

Adam did not study.

* * *

"Line change, Banks, Mendoza!" Orion hollered to his players out on the ice, tense as he watched the score board. They were up by five, but with the way the Bears were playing (utterly horrible), it should have at least been ten. Something was up, and he wondered whether it was because of the man in the stands who'd been watching Charlie like a hawk. Conway wasn't on his best today, that was sure. He watched as Banks hit the ice, patting Conway on the back as he passed him before their team captain sat down on the bench.

"Conway," Orion cornered him immediately, and Charlie looked up from his search for his water bottle which had seemingly mysteriously disappeared. Eventually, Averman finally threw him a bottle which he caught with ease. He shot the boy a thankful grin before he turned back to his coach, who looked irritated. "Keep your head in the game," he warned.

Charlie nodded, a bit grim. He didn't know what was up with him; he figured it was the damn stress of homework. "Sorry, coach," he apologized.

A sudden shout of, "_Fuck you! Blow the damn whistle, ref!_" came from the stands when Luis was decked a little too hard.

Orion sighed, annoyed. "And could you tell your friend to be quiet?"

Charlie blinked before he realized his coach was talking about Jesse, who'd been yelling throughout the entire match. It wouldn't have been a problem had Jesse not taken it upon himself to start cussing the other team into oblivion, much to the dismay of some supporters. Last thing Orion wanted was a riot, Charlie knew. He shook his head and he could hear Connie giggle next to him before he turned to shout at his friend, who was sat next to Larson, much like their previous game.

"Jesse!" he called out, to which both Jesse and Larson snapped their heads to him. "Shut the hell up!"

Jesse gave him the finger in return, but sat down. Larson, looking much better than he'd done days previous, gave him the thumbs up. Charlie wasn't sure what that was for, but then he realized it hadn't been for him but for Connie, who waved back enthusiastically. He inwardly groaned.

"Is that Jesse Hall?" Orion's gaze now flickered from him to Jesse, interested.

Charlie nodded as he drank from the bottle. As soon as he'd swallowed, he affirmed, "Yeah."

Orion turned back to the game, but wasn't done. "He was at our last game."

"Yeah," Charlie smiled as he watched Jesse out of the corner of his eyes. He'd jumped up and had begun to shout again. Larson motioned at him to sit down, but that's all Charlie saw before he turned back to the game.

His coach didn't bother to look at him this time as he said, "He was a Duck." It wasn't a question.

Charlie shifted, uncomfortable. "Yeah," he repeated. _Still is_, he thought.

"Any reason why he didn't accept the scholarship?"

"I," Charlie hesitated, tongue-tied. He could see Averman glance over, all humor gone from the boy who usually had a jest for everything. Connie took a hold of his wrist, squeezing it lightly. He knew his friends shared what he thought: it wasn't their place to tell. "Don't know," he finally finished.

If Orion knew he was lying, he didn't say.

* * *

They won seven to two, cheering Charlie up immensely. Not wanting to see his dad, however, he hurried into the locker room. As he removed his pads, he could hear the rest of the team chatter excitedly.

"We gonna celebrate?" Portman asked, to which Kenny piped up, "We could watch a movie!"

"Yeah, Goldberg has a telly in his room!" Fulton remembered. Goldberg held up a hand, "Whoa, whoa. We won't all fit in there!"

"We'll manage, Goldie," Portman waved his protest away. "I've got _Scream_."

"I don't want to see a slasher!" Charlie heard Connie object from the other end of the room.

"All in favor of _Scream_ say aye," Fulton ignored his teammate. A chorus of aye's echoed throughout the room.

"Guy!" Connie yelled when she heard her boyfriend say it too. Guy smiled, "Sorry, babe. I want to see it."

At this, Portman grinned, "Her name's Connie," he mocked, "Not babe."

As the rest laughed, Charlie suppressed a grin as Banks rolled his eyes. "Shut up." Yeah, they'd never let him live that one down.

"Is Jesse still here?" Fulton turned to him, as if he knew the answer. "We could invite him." Charlie shrugged; he guessed so. He thought back to Orion's questions and frowned to himself.

"Larson too," Portman was saying when he tuned back in.

"Great!" Connie said from wherever she was. "Guy, you have to hold my hand."

"What, now?" Guy asked, confused. Charlie imagined Connie rolling her eyes. "No, silly, during the movie!"

As his friends chatted amongst themselves, Charlie could feel someone's eyes bore into him. As he expected, when he looked up, he could see Adam's blue eyes stare into his own. He'd obviously noticed something was bothering him. Charlie shook his head to say it was nothing, but when Adam raised a single eyebrow, Charlie smiled and mouthed '_I'll tell you later' _instead. His best friend accepted this answer and turned to a fully-dressed and showered Julie, who'd asked him something.

Charlie's thoughts drifted back to Jesse as he headed to the showers.

* * *

"Took you guys long enough," Jesse commented once the entire team walked out the locker room. He slapped a random high five with Fulton before he turned to Adam and teased, "Your hair sitting pretty, cake-eater?"

"Don't mock the hair," Larson said from where he leaned against a nearby wall. "It'll break his heart."

"Ha ha," Adam shook his head at his friends' banter as the rest of the team exchanged smiles and grins. "We're going to watch a movie in Goldberg's room, you coming?"

Jesse took a quick look at his watch, "Yeah, I think I can squeeze one in." He turned to Larson who shrugged, "Sure."

"Then, onwards, my friends!" Averman called out, marching into a direction as if they were in an army. One by one all the Ducks began to follow him, except Adam and Larson. Banks folded his arms across his chest and sighed. Larson blinked as he pushed himself away from the wall, "Do they know the dorms are this way?" he asked, jabbing a thumb in the opposite direction.

"Wait for it," Adam told him.

A short time later, Averman came back with the Ducks in tow, this time walking a bit faster. "Just a minor course correction," he said before Adam could say anything.

Adam caught Charlie's eye as he grinned sheepishly. It hadn't been the first time Averman had steered them wrong.

"Onwards, my friends!" Averman repeated, this time walking into the right direction.

"I don't think it's safe to follow him," Jesse said, to which the others laughed. When Averman turned around and beckoned them to come, they all shook their heads and did. Charlie quickly caught sight of Connie striking up a conversation with Larson as Guy talked to Jesse. He wondered whether to interfere. Something had to happen, he decided. And he had to do it.

He walked up to the pair and made sure they saw him before he turned to Larson, "Can I talk to you, man?"

Larson looked surprised, but shrugged. "Yeah, sure." He turned back to Connie, "If I'm not back in ten minutes," he joked, to which she laughed. "I'll call the police," Connie promised, winking at Charlie when he gave her a playful shove.

Adam hesitated and looked back at them when he noticed they weren't with the group anymore. Charlie motioned at him to go, "We'll be right there," he told him. Banks still looked uncertain but gave a brief nod and followed the others.

"What's up, Conway?" Larson asked him as soon as the rest was out of ear shot. Charlie crossed his arms, "Connie," he said. He noticed confusion flicker in Larson's eyes, before he realized what Charlie was on about.

"She's my friend," Larson told him, a bit defensive. Charlie let his arms drop to his sides again, not wanting to make the other boy feel as if he was attacking him.

"Connie's great. But she's also in love with Guy." He hoped Larson would know where he was going with this.

"I know, Conway. I'm not trying to steal her from Germaine." Larson looked amused now. "I know she's great, but I don't like her. Not like that," he paused, then confessed, "Not anymore, at least."

He could see Larson was sincere, and that was a relief. "Okay. I just wanted to, well, uh." he stuttered. Larson smirked at it. "I get it, Charlie. You're looking out for her." Charlie nodded; a little stunned Larson had used his name. It was the first time he'd ever done so. It was also a bit weird. Larson grimaced, as if realizing this.

"Let's just pretend this conversation didn't happen," he offered. Charlie laughed as they walked to where he knew Goldberg's room to be, "Deal. Come on, let's go. Banksie probably thinks I've killed you by now."

"I think it's Moreau you should be worried about," Larson chided as he opened the door. Charlie shoved him inside as a way to shut him up, and the two met the oncoming stares with grins on their faces.

"Do we want to know what you were doing?" Russ commented, smiling widely. Dwayne punched him in the arm as the rest of the room laughed quietly. Charlie rolled his eyes but didn't bother to reply as he watched the small television in the middle of the room. The others hadn't bothered to wait and what Charlie assumed to be _Scream_ played on screen. He stepped over Julie's legs and then used her head to steady himself as he climbed on the bed to squeeze in-between Connie and Adam, grinning bashfully as Julie shot him a glare. Larson opted to sit next to Julie on the floor, and after a few minutes, they were all sitting uncomfortably in a very tiny room.

"Whose idea was this?" Adam groaned, pulling away his hand just in time; Portman would have sat on it had he moved again. There were five people sitting on the bed, a bed that was probably only made to hold one or two. Charlie grinned at his friend's complaint as he looked around the room. Guy was sat at the very end of the bed, holding Connie who seemed to have buried her head into her boyfriend's chest in order not to watch the movie. Julie was sat in front of Connie but on the floor, staring at the screen with wide eyes. When the music suddenly changed to something eerie, her hand shot out and wrapped around Larson's wrist tightly. Charlie had to hold back a laugh when he noticed the Hawk grimace in pain, but Larson did not emit a sound.

Jesse was sat next to Julie, watching the movie with some interest. He didn't seem too impressed. Next to him was Goldberg, looking irritated he couldn't sit on his own bed. Beside Adam on the bed were Portman and Fulton, watching intently. Luis was on the other end of the room, looking torn between wanting to stay with his friends or ditch. To see Mindy, Charlie guessed. Next to him sat Kenny, too engrossed in the movie to close his mouth and chew his unfinished popcorn. Russ was mocking the movie to Dwayne, who seemed utterly confused by whatever the boy with the knuckle puck was saying. Averman was last, sitting a little too close to the television.

He could feel all the earlier tension from homework, his dad, hockey, _everything_, disappear. As long as he was with his friends, his Ducks (plus one), he could do anything. They were a unity.

"Charlie," he heard Adam murmur and when he turned his head, his best friend was a little closer than he'd anticipated. He found himself staring into another set of eyes, his stomach twisting uncomfortably as he wondered how someone's eyes could be so god damn _blue_. His forehead suddenly knocked into Adam's, and they both recoiled with a wince. "Sorry," Banks apologized, eyes crinkling as he half-smiled. Charlie shrugged, unable to keep from smiling at their misfortune as well, "S'fine, what's up?"

"Back in the locker room," Adam whispered, not wanting to disturb anyone from the movie. The screams on the television were the only sounds in the room. Charlie scooted a bit closer to hear him, their arms pretty much squashed together by now. Adam shifted, uncomfortable in the position they were in, taking his arm so he could lean it on Charlie's shoulder instead. It didn't help much, but it was better. He continued, still in the same tone, "You seemed kind of out of it."

"Oh," Charlie muttered as he remembered what he'd been thinking about. His eyes temporarily flickered to Jesse, who was now leaning against Julie's shoulder lazily. "Orion asked about Jesse," he finally said, quietly. Adam nodded, telling him to continue. "Why he didn't accept the scholarship."

As he expected, Adam's expression instantly turned grave. "I didn't tell him," Charlie assured, knowing what his friend was thinking. They paused their conversation when Jesse suddenly raised his head to look at them. "You look cozy," he laughed.

"Oh, yeah," Charlie snorted, wincing inwardly when Banks' elbow dug into his shoulder a little too sharply. Adam gave him the thumbs up, rolling his eyes to say he disagreed.

"Shut up," Portman didn't even look at him as he demanded, "I'm trying to watch a movie."

"Everybody dies in a gruesome way,_ the end_!" Connie said as she took her head away from her boyfriend's chest. "Why can't we watch something else?_ Clueless_, maybe?"

"I'm not watching some chick make out with her brother," Fulton replied in a bored tone.

"Step-brother!" Connie corrected.

"Uh, Gaffney?" Larson thought this was the perfect moment to interrupt. Julie turned to look at him before she realized she was clutching his hand so tight his fingers were starting to look purple. "Oh!" she quickly released it, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. Are you ok?"

"Step-brother or not," Fulton argued, "That movie doesn't even have a plot!"

"Wu, hand over the popcorn." Goldberg tried to snatch the bucket but Kenny kept it out of reach. "Nuh uh, Goldberg. Get your own!"

"Yeah, I'm ok," Larson said, as Julie watched him with concern, "Are you sure?"

"Oh, and this movie does?" Connie screeched. "It's just a random massacre!"

"Calm down, Cons," Guy tried, but she nor Fulton listened.

"Hey, who stole my hat?" Dwayne looked around wildly.

Jesse twirled the hat in his hands. "Sorry, cowboy, I was just playin' with it."

"Are we going to watch this movie or not?" Luis complained, "I could be with Mindy right now."

"You're always with Mindy," Russ rolled his eyes. "She got a leash on you or something?"

Dwayne frowned, "You could'a asked, Jesse!"

"At least I have a girlfriend!" Luis bit back. Russ narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, some airhead extraordinaire, I'm sure you're real proud."

"You take that back!"

"Look, Connie, I like you but you suck at picking movies," Fulton said, to which Portman solemnly agreed. Guy scowled at them, "Leave her alone!" he told his friends, as Connie huffed, "At least I have taste!"

"I'm fine," Larson said, a bit aggravated when he had to repeat it. "You're not my mom, Gaffney."

Julie's eyes flashed. "Excuse me for caring, _Larson_!"

Charlie watched as everyone began to argue amongst themselves within the span of two minutes. He exchanged a look with Adam, who shrugged in reply. He didn't know what the hell was going on either.

"Would you stop screeching, you damn banshee! I'm right _here_." Portman scoffed, annoyed.

"Come on, Connie, we're leaving! I'm not letting them insult you." Guy suddenly pulled his girlfriend upright, Connie looking extremely offended as she followed him out of the room.

"Yeah, let's go, Fult," Portman was next to leave, looking as if he was about to punch someone if he didn't. Fulton was quick to agree, and they left too.

One by one, everyone began to leave the room, annoyed with the others. Jesse told both Charlie and Adam he'd call them before he too was gone. Finally, the only ones left were Goldberg, Charlie and Adam.

"This is my room," Goldberg told them, looking incredibly moody. "Get out."

A few seconds later, the door was slammed into his face. Charlie turned to Banks, who looked as bewildered as he felt.

"What the hell just happened?"


	17. second chance

**AN:** I'm putting up this chapter sooner than I expected! I think I had to do with the fact I had a cold and didn't have anything to do but write. Next chapter will probably take a while due to college.

To **AquaRias**, I'm glad you love it! Here's another chapter.  
To** narcoleptic86**, thank you! Here's an update!  
To **PartyInTheBackBuisnessUpFront**, well, it wasn't two weeks, so I hope you're happy! Also, you're going to have to wait a bit longer (one chapter, really) to see more of Charlie's dad!  
To **starielle**, I'm glad you liked it. I love the Ducks interacting with each other. I always see them as such a tight knit group. And you won't have to wait longer for the big 'why did Jesse quit' reveal, because this chapter is all about him! And lol, Fulton's such a boy. I'm sure Connie forced him to watch Clueless several times and he secretly loves it, though. He just pretends to like blood and gore. (Harry and Charlie should never meet. It would be too much for this world!)  
To** Juju89**, I see you've changed your name! I was confused for a second. It was very odd for me to write Adam and Charlie as the only ones not fighting, as they've done their share already! I love Guy and Charlie, too. Even though I believe Adam and Jesse are closest to Charlie (despite his bromance with Fulton in D3), I think Guy is really close to him too. I love those four together. Guy is definitely going to have his moments. And of course Charlie would still think Jesse is a Duck! I'm pretty sure Charlie and Jesse started District 5. Or maybe that's something I read.. anyway, I'm glad you recognized that Averman bit from the book! I love using bits and pieces from it to give this fic a bit more familiarity. And I will definitely throw in some more Connie/Charlie. I love writing them, Charlie/Julie and Adam/Julie. Hmm, maybe I should put in some Connie/Adam soon.

Thanks for all the reviews, you guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_17. second chance  


* * *

_

"Banksie, we have to do _something_."

"Charlie," Adam sighed, having heard this about a million times this week. "We tried, they still won't listen."

Of course, they were talking about the rift between the Ducks. It had been five days since the team had gone their separate ways after their 'movie night' in Goldberg's room. No one dared to sit at the Ducks table anymore. Charlie stared at it wistfully. Who knew a movie could divide an entire team? He didn't even know what most of them were fighting about. He was pretty sure that _they_ didn't even know what they were fighting about. Tension had just run high that night. Charlie still blamed it on the lack of space in Goldberg's room.

He knew all of the Ducks could be stubborn when they wanted to be. _Julie especially_, he thought. She had been ignoring Larson all week. Even Connie still bothered to throw Fulton a glare here and there, but Julie was plain out denying the fact the Hawk even existed. Now that Charlie thought about it, he hadn't seen Larson except in classes all week either.

Being without his Ducks was boring. But on the bright side, not having to listen to Larson's taunts about him was... boring.

"You heard anything from your dad?" Adam suddenly asked.

Charlie rolled his eyes back in annoyance, "No." And with that, the subject was closed.

He didn't want to talk about his dad. But he also didn't want to talk about _today_.

Yet Adam finally brought it up. "You know what today is, don't you?"

Charlie didn't even have to think before he nodded. He swallowed hard, "It's Terry's birthday."

"Yeah," Adam frowned as he watched Charlie's fists tighten into balls. Within the span of a minute, their conversation had taken a turn for the worse. After a while, he cleared his throat, "I think we should see him, Charlie."

Charlie's face was blank. "He didn't want to see us last year. Or the year before that. Not on this day."

"I know, but maybe it'll be different." Adam doubted himself. "He's been at our games, right?"

"Yeah," Charlie realized this was true. He caught Adam's eye, "You think he's interested in playing again?"

Adam shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't know," he muttered. "You know he hasn't touched a hockey stick ever since Terry…" he trailed off, but Charlie knew what he wanted to say.

_Ever since Terry died._

It happened so fast. One moment they were celebrating their win, the next they were sat in a hospital as they watched their friend try to battle his leukemia. He'd been sick months before the Goodwill Games, but Terry hadn't told anyone. No one but his parents had known. He died three weeks after the Ducks had returned.

It had crushed Jesse. Charlie had never seen him so angry. He began to withdraw from the Ducks and though Charlie had tried, even lost contact with them. It wasn't until about a week after Hans' funeral that the Ducks saw him again. Charlie had spent the most of his summer holidays with him. He knew Adam had done the same.

It had only been since a few months ago that Jesse had shown signs of returning to his normal self. Even though he still acted as tough, Charlie knew his friend would never be the same again.

He was suddenly determined to see Jesse. Adam, knowing what he was thinking, smiled. "You get Fulton and Goldberg," Charlie told him, "I'll find Connie, Guy and Averman."

Adam looked somewhat surprised, "What about the others?"

"They don't know, do they?" Charlie asked, even though he knew. Adam shook his head in reply. "I don't know how Jesse's gonna react to us, let alone them." Even though Adam was still dubious, he nodded.

"We going to get-" he didn't have to finish as Charlie interrupted, "Yeah."

"I'll meet you in front of the building in ten, ok?"

And with that, the two Ducks were off.

* * *

Gathering the old Ducks had been easy enough. Coming up with something to get them away from the new Ducks wasn't. Charlie had stuttered that Connie needed to help him with his homework to Julie, who looked at him as if he was a complete and utter retard but didn't ask further. He told Dwayne that Guy's bed had been stolen, something the cowboy had accepted without question. As much as Charlie liked the boy, he could be really dense sometimes. He found Averman in his room. Without his roommate, luckily.

He met Adam five minutes later than expected, but was glad to see the Ducks didn't start to argue with each other as soon as they saw one other. They all knew why they'd been called together.

As they started to skate away from Eden Hall, Charlie could easily hear Connie, who'd rolled up to Fulton.

"Fult," she started, the tone of her voice saying it all. She wanted to apologize, but Fulton wouldn't let her. Instead, he gathered her into a hug and muttered something Charlie couldn't hear. Connie beamed up at her friend before she skated back to her boyfriend, who shared a grin with Fulton. Charlie was awfully glad they'd made up without him having to interfere.

"Goldberg, I'm sorry." Averman suddenly said. Goldberg turned to him, "What?"

"For being mad at you," Averman cleared up. Goldberg was still confused, "You were mad at me?"

"You got popcorn all over me!"

Charlie tuned out of that conversation quick. He suddenly realized where they were and headed a left, hoping he still knew the way.

"Spazway!" A sudden voice called out to him and he immediately grinned as he noticed someone waving at him up ahead. Charlie skidded to a stop before he was pulled into some sort of man-hug by someone he hadn't seen in months.

Dave Karp smiled dolefully as he pulled back, "I thought I'd be seeing you today." He went over to Connie who threw her arms around him.

Peter Mark was sat on the front steps of his house as he looked up at Charlie, "We were waiting on you."

"I wish you weren't," Charlie said wistfully as he stuck his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah," Peter agreed as he stood up, "We gonna see Jess?" Even though it wasn't a question, it came out as one.

Charlie nodded. He made the mental note to call Tammy and Tommy as soon as he got the chance.

"Should we go to his place?" Fulton asked as he shared some difficult handshake with Karp that Charlie had only seen once before.

"No," it was Guy who spoke up. He was looking into another direction. "He's at the pond."

Despite the fact they couldn't see whether Guy was right as they weren't anywhere near the pond, Charlie knew it was true.

He looked back at his Ducks. "Let's go."

* * *

Charlie could easily make out Jesse's figure on the pond as they rolled up. He motioned at the rest to slow down, and then took out his ice skates from the bag they were in. As soon as everyone had them on, Charlie led them onto the ice. He knew Jesse had seen them and was glad he hadn't run off. He suddenly noticed his friend was holding onto a Duck jersey. As he looked at the number, he realized it wasn't his. It was Terry's.

"Fancy meeting you here," Averman joked when they reached him, wanting to lighten the mood. Charlie shot him a look that plainly said 'shut up' as Jesse rolled his eyes at them.

"We were gonna play some hockey," Charlie informed him, as if it wasn't already obvious by their hockey gear. He quickly caught Adam's eye before he dared to continue, "You want to join us?"

"Don't think so," Jesse refused easily.

All the Ducks exchanged looks. They weren't surprised by his reaction, even though they'd hoped for another answer.

Charlie took a breath before he spoke, cautiously. "I think Terry would have liked it."

"Terry's dead," Jesse deadpanned.

Connie flinched. Guy took a hold of her hand.

"We wanted to dedicate the game to him," Fulton dared to say.

"Great," Jesse's tone was nothing but sarcasm. "You can do it without me." He turned and began to walk off the ice, but Charlie quickly took after him.

"You can't keep doing this, Jess." He said, and Jesse froze in his tracks. Charlie watched as he turned around, his glare harsh. "I don't want to play, Conway. Leave me alone."

"You love hockey," Charlie tried, wanting to get through to him. It was something they hadn't been able to do last year. "Terry never would have wanted you to quit."

And that was the wrong thing to say. Jesse looked furious with him. "_Don't_ tell me what he would or wouldn't want me to do! He got _sick _and I wasn't there because I had to play that _stupid_ game!" he yelled, his voice raw with emotion.

"Jesse," Charlie shoulders sagged as he heard Adam, hoping Banks could get through to him. "It wasn't your fault."

"Like hell it was, Banks!" Jesse's hands were clenched into fists, so hard Charlie could see his knuckles turning white. He couldn't remember the last time Jesse had called Adam by his last name. "I wasn't there for him when he needed me most. He didn't want me to worry. He didn't want me to come home. I should have known something wasn't right. I should have..." Jesse's voice cracked, and Charlie took a step forward without fully realizing it. Adam took a hold of his shirt, shaking his head to say he shouldn't.

Jesse didn't notice as he murmured, "I should have been there."

"You _were_ there," Karp tried to assure. Peter nodded, desperate to let their friend know. "He was so happy to see you play, Jesse. It gave him so much strength."

"Not enough," Jesse spoke, and the way he said it made things seem so final. Charlie didn't know what else to say. This wasn't how he'd imagined their day to be like. This wasn't how he'd imagined_ Terry's_ day to be like. How had it all gone to hell within a few minutes?

It was Guy who finally snapped. He let go of Connie's hand and before Charlie knew what his friend was up to, he'd closed the gap between him and Jesse and punched the former Duck square in the cheek.

"Guy!" Connie was frantic. Charlie was too surprised to move.

Jesse recoiled and would have hit the ice had Guy not taken a hold of his shirt to steady him. "Look at you!" Guy screamed, despite the fact his friend was right in front of him. Charlie wondered where the sudden violence came from. "Look at where you are! You came here today knowing this is where Terry would have wanted to be. This is where you _want_ to be." Jesse was too stunned to speak, one hand holding his cheek as the other held onto Terry's Duck jersey.

Guy eased his grip and held Jesse in some sort of half-hug, but he wasn't done. "He wanted to make it all the way to the NHL, Jesse. He wanted to make it there with you. God, the way he used to talk about it. He wouldn't have wanted this for you, Jess. He'd want you to _live_. He'd want you to do what you _love_. It's what he loved, too." He finally let go of Jesse, pushing him away. "So stop it. Stop this, stop whatever you're doing to yourself. He wouldn't want it."

Without waiting for any kind of response, Guy turned on his heels and skated away. Charlie had never seen him react that way; it was difficult to see. He knew Guy had been close to Terry, he knew the three of them had been close. _The oreo line_, as McGill had taunted. He caught Connie's eye who looked incredibly worried about her boyfriend, and he nodded to say she should go after him.

Connie bit her lip as she contemplated what to do, before she took a few steps towards Jesse. Charlie could see his old friend was shell shocked, taking in everything Guy had said. Connie threw her arms around him and softly kissed his cheek. "We love you," she murmured to him, loud enough for Charlie to hear. "Please don't forget." And with that, she released Jesse and quickly went after Guy to see how he was doing.

The silence was deafening.

"He's right," Adam was the one to speak, and Charlie watched as Jesse raised his head to look at him. "Do you really think Terry wouldn't want you to play anymore? That he'd want you to quit something you both loved?" When Jesse didn't answer, Charlie knew that they'd broken his resolve. _Guy_ had broken him.

"He wouldn't, Jess. He was never that selfish. He'd encourage you to play. For him, for us," Banks motioned at the rest of the Ducks, before he ended with, "For _you_."

Jesse didn't speak. He simply stared at the Duck jersey in his hand.

"Just one game, Jess," Charlie found his voice again. "We're not asking you to come to Eden Hall with us." At this, Jesse smiled wryly. Charlie couldn't help but grin, "One game. I think Terry would like me kicking your ass."

"Not even in your wildest dreams, Spazway." As soon as the words came out of Jesse's mouth, the rest of the Ducks cheered wildly and gathered him in a group hug. Jesse looked at Charlie with bright eyes as he mouthed 'thanks', before he pushed them all off of him.

"I'm gonna get Guy first," he said, and Charlie knew the two would want to talk in private. He nodded and watched as Jesse walked off the pond before he turned to the rest of his team. He never felt more love for them than he did at that moment.

"I'm going to kick all of your asses," he boasted, knowing very well what kind of reaction he'd get. It's what he wanted to hear.

Laughter.

* * *

It was a short while later that all of the old Ducks were engaged in a game of hockey. Charlie had no idea what the teams were, but he did know his ass was getting beat. Despite the fact Jesse hadn't played for over three years, and he was somewhat rusty, he was still the player Charlie knew him to be. But that didn't stop Adam and Guy from controlling the game, tag-teaming and scoring whenever they saw the opportunity.

"Someone trip Germaine," Jesse demanded, out of breath, to which Charlie snorted. He'd been thinking the same thing about Banks.

"Hey," a voice brought them all to an abrupt halt. Charlie bumped into Jesse's back and didn't bother to move away. As soon as he saw who the intruders were, he threw an arm around the other boy supportively. Jesse rolled his eyes at him in what Charlie thought to be very Banksie like.

Julie tilted her head to the side as she bit the inside of her cheek. "Think we could join?" she asked as she gestured to the other Ducks beside her; Dwayne held his cowboy hat almost nervously, Kenny looked even smaller than usual, Luis couldn't look anyone in the eye, Russ seemed speechless for once and Portman held the most serious look Charlie had ever seen on him. It was safe to say they knew what today was and were highly uncomfortable.

Charlie clicked his tongue, faking a doubtful look. He knew they were welcome any time, but couldn't help but feel somewhat cautious for Jesse's sake. "What d'you think, Jess?"

Jesse tried to balance himself as Charlie proceeded to pounce on him from behind like a big kid. "I think you should get off of me and go bother Adam," he told him plainly.

"No way," Adam called from where he stood with Guy. "I just got rid of him. Your turn now, Hall."

"Thanks, love you too, Cake-eater," Jesse said sarcastically as he shook his head, but he didn't bother to shrug Charlie off. Whether he was ten or fifty, captain Duck would always be protective of his flock. Charlie grinned widely as he turned back to the new Ducks, who looked as if they wanted to smile at their banter but couldn't.

"What're you all standing 'round for?" Jesse finally addressed them. "Get yo' butts in the game."

At once, Julie skated towards them and flung herself at Jesse, who stumbled backwards but managed to catch her as she engulfed both him and Charlie in a hug. "Oh, Jesse," Charlie raised an eyebrow as he watched her sniff, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Jules," Jesse patted her back awkwardly. "Come on, let's play some hockey."

Charlie finally let go and skated back onto the field. Connie skid to a stop near him, looking somewhat guilty. "I called Jules," she told him, and Charlie smiled down at her as he pulled her into his side for a hug. "It's okay, Cons. I should have asked them to come with from the start. We're all Ducks, you know?" Connie nodded, looking relieved before she went over to her best friend.

Charlie looked back at the Ducks as he waited for the game to start. He grinned as he saw Karp stumble over himself to introduce himself to Julie. Peter seemed fascinated with Dwayne's heritage and Charlie watched the cowboy hand over his hat.

_I should have done this a lot sooner_, he mused. Even though Tammy and Tommy couldn't be there, he knew they were with them in spirit.

Like Terry.

_I hope you're okay, Terry_, he thought as he looked up at the sky. _I know that wherever you are, you're with us._

Ducks fly together.

* * *

**AN:** Yes, I killed Terry. And I feel terrible for doing it. But, as I thought of all the reasons I could use for Jesse's reason to quit, I wanted something that hadn't been used often. I could have said the Halls moved away, but seeing as the new Ducks are from all over the world, why wouldn't he be able to go too? I could have said he just didn't like the game anymore, but when I rewatched the first two films, I could clearly see he was really into it. So, I went with a more extreme approach. Also, sorry about the lack of Charlie/Adam, but like I said, this will _eventually_ be slash. Eventually. Meaning that you'll be getting _something_ within the next three chapters. Don't forget to review, even if it is to say that you now hate me ... don't hate me.


	18. it's complicated

**AN:** Hey all! Here's another chapter. Shorter than usual, but I wanted to give you guys something for all your wonderful reviews! I am in a hurry so I can't reply to the reviews, but I just want to let everyone know that I really appreciate them. And I'm glad to see new readers/reviewers! I love you guys. This was originally a Charlie-with-daddy-issues chapter, but I pushed it back. Sorry about that! Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_18. it's complicated  


* * *

_

"Adam, wait up."

Adam slowed down in order for Guy to catch up, wondering where he'd left his History homework as he rummaged through his bag. Maybe he'd left it in his room, or Charlie's, or Julie's, or his locker. He mulled over his options as he waited for his friend to tell him what's up.

"Hey," Guy finally managed to reach him, having stumbled through the crowd. He looked around, as if searching for someone, before he turned back to Adam, "I need to talk to you about Charlie."

"Have we ever had a conversation that's not about Charlie?" Banks asked, only teasing.

"Yeah," Guy immediately said, before he scrunched his nose and took it back, "I have no idea."

Adam resisted the urge to roll his eyes and smiled, "What's up?"

"You remember that time when Charlie had a fever, and he called out for his mom?" Guy asked, straight to the point. The two of them managed to dodge an oncoming teacher in a hurry. It reminded Adam that they needed to head to class.

"Yeah," he replied, thinking back to that day. "Why?"

"Well, it happened again. Not the fever part, but him calling out for her." Guy frowned and Adam could see his concern. "I was able to wake him up this time, though."

"You think it has to do with his dad?" Adam asked after a while, wanting to know what the other Duck was thinking.

"Maybe," Guy looked unsure. "I've never seen him like this. He wasn't like this last year."

_I wouldn't know_, was Adam's first thought. He instantly cast it away. "Keep a close eye on him, okay?" he requested, to which Guy nodded. "Tell me if it happens again."

"Think we should confront him?" Guy asked after slight hesitation. Adam shook his head, "No, he wouldn't tell us."

Guy nodded; he knew this. Charlie wasn't someone who'd willingly tell anyone about his problems until he was ready to explode. Adam knew Charlie didn't want his friends to be bothered by his issues, but what their captain didn't understand was the fact that's why you had friends in the first place. Despite this, he didn't want to push Charlie into telling him when he wasn't ready.

Guy checked his watch, "I got to get to class."

"Me too," Adam told him as they shared goodbye's. He watched Guy walk away before he headed into the opposite direction.

"Hey, Adam!" Guy suddenly called back to him, and Banks turned on his heel to look at him. Guy continued, "How are you?"

Adam laughed, "Get to class, Germaine." Guy grinned back at him and saluted, before he disappeared within the crowds.

Now where was that History homework?

* * *

"Okay, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it," Fulton began, almost dramatically. It was about two hours after classes had ended, and some of the Ducks had decided to study in the library. Fulton slammed his book down on the table before he cast a look around, "Does _anyone_ know what the hell this is about?"

At once, the entire table groaned, telling him that they had absolutely no idea. Adam couldn't help but smile as he continued to write down his notes. He was surrounded by idiots. Any minute now, they'd be asking him for help.

"Banks," And he was right. Portman was the one to try first, "Help a man out here." But Adam didn't even bother to look up as he answered.

"No."

"Oh, come on, Banksie!" Fulton backed up his team mate.

"No."

"But Cake-eater!" Guy was next in line; he'd obviously been spending too much time with Jesse.

"No."

"Preppy—" At this, his head snapped up to glare, which instantly made Charlie shut up.

"_No."_

"Adam," the last person at their table spoke, and he looked to his side to see Connie gnaw on her lip in concentration as she stared at the book in front of her before she turned to look at him, "I don't understand any of this," she told him, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Could you help me, please? I'd ask Jules, but she was done hours ago."

Adam smiled softly, "Sure, Cons, what don't you understand?"

Portman's jaw dropped. "You didn't want to help us!" he almost yelled, and the entire table flinched when the librarian shushed them harshly.

"Because, unlike Connie, you haven't even tried to understand any of it." Adam's gaze wavered to the ground, where several spitballs were glued to the floor. All four boys instantly looked sheepish.

"He's right, you guys," Charlie finally said, and he caught Adam's eye before he sighed and took his book. Fulton, Portman and Guy exchanged looks before they followed their captain's example.

Adam couldn't help but look at Charlie as he concentrated. He'd seemed fine in class, and he looked fine now. No signs he was being plagued by nightmares. Then again, he knew Charlie wasn't about to let anyone know something was up. It was something he hated and admired about Captain Duck. He shook his head in amusement as Charlie cussed at his homework, obviously having no idea what it was about. Almost as if knowing someone was watching him, he looked up and caught Adam's eye again. Charlie blinked, clueless as to what Banks was thinking. "What?"

"Nothing," Adam said, before he smirked, "I'll be shocked if you get higher than a C minus."

A wad of paper shot against his cheek was the only answer he got. "Thanks, Charlie."

Charlie grinned cheekily as he continued to skim his book. "You're welcome."

All humor was lost when Averman hurried inside the library. The Ducks watched how he looked around wildly before he spotted them and nearly ran to their table. He almost tripped in his hurry and Adam had to hold back a laugh. "You better come quickly," he said, alarming them. "Scooter picked a fight with Larson. Jules can't stop them." Adam realized Averman looked almost excited. He rolled his eyes, but wasn't surprised: Averman and Goldberg hadn't exactly warmed up to the Hawk like the rest of the team had. He quickly collected his books and dumped them into his bag before he followed his teammate, knowing the others weren't far behind.

"Scott, stop it!" Adam could hear Julie the minute he entered the cafeteria, and he frowned when he realized no one but Julie was trying to stop the brawl from happening. Riley looked as if he was having the time of his life. McGill was like a statue; he didn't move a muscle.

He pushed himself through the crowd and managed to put himself in front of Julie, who looked relieved to see him. "What the hell's going on?" he demanded, facing Scooter who looked absolutely murderous. He risked a glance at Larson, glad to see Charlie was restraining him by his arms. Banks winced at the sight of blood near Larson's nose before he turned back to Scooter.

"He was all over my girl!" Scooter snarled.

"It was just a hug!" Julie yelled. She was absolutely livid. "And I'm _not_ your possession!"

"Yeah, _Scotty_," Larson taunted, only to have Charlie shove him slightly. Scott gritted his teeth but did not make an attempt to lunge at him again. "Shut up," Adam heard Charlie hiss, and he shot his old friend a look to say he agreed. Larson stared back at him, and Adam knew he was just as pissed off as Scooter. Leave it to him to cover it up by being an asshole.

The tension was so thick he could probably cut it with a knife. Adam instantly became even more wary when he noticed Riley pushed his way towards them. "Scooter, let's go." He told his teammate, sneering at the Ducks. "We got practice."

By now, Scooter's anger had subdued. He looked at Julie, who crossed her arms over her chest. "Go," she told him, and the tone of her voice clearly said it all: they would talk later. With one final glare at Larson, he followed the Varsity captain out of the hall. The crowd uttered their disappointment in groans as they departed from the scene.

"_See ya_," Larson called after Scooter, mockingly. Charlie rolled his eyes and let go of his arms, before he pushed Larson away by the back of his head. Larson wiped his nose with the back of his hand as he eyed Julie. She looked at him as if she was about to say something, before she shook her head and stormed out. Connie didn't even hesitate to follow her.

"Let's go," McGill suddenly spoke. Adam had almost forgotten he was there. He quickly took a hold of Larson's shoulder.

"I have to talk to Billy," he told his former friend, and McGill sneered at him. "He's got somewhere to be, Banks."

"I'm sure you can miss him for a few minutes, _Petey_." He saw McGill flinch at the use of his nickname, but he didn't bother to wait for a reply. He nodded to Larson, "Come on."

"Banksie—" Charlie started, but Adam shook his head, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

He was going to get to the bottom of entire mess.

* * *

"Look, he jumped me, ok?" Larson told him as soon as they were outside. He looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else. Despite the fact he hadn't talked to the Hawk in quite some while, Banks knew something was up.

"What did you do?" Adam enquired, knowing there was more to it.

"Gaffney apologized. I told her it was fine, and she hugged me." Larson shrugged, but avoided his eye. "That was it."

"No, it wasn't." Adam refused to believe that. Larson didn't reply for a while before he shook his head.

"No, it wasn't." He confirmed, his smile wry. Larson sat down on a nearby bench, and Adam watched as he stared at his hands. After a while, he looked up at Adam with the most serious expression Banks had ever seen on him. "McGill's been talking to Varsity. I don't know how, but they want you gone, Adam. They want the Ducks gone."

Great, exactly what they needed. Adam rubbed his template before he sat down too. "They tried that last year and it didn't work."

"I don't know, man. McGill won't tell me anything." Larson looked up at the sky. "Pretty sure he influenced Gaffney's boyfriend, though. You know he doesn't want me around you."

Adam nodded in thought. He knew Scooter woudn't attack someone like that without being provoked. Something about the way Larson talked startled Adam however. "You're going to listen to him." It wasn't a question. Banks suddenly realized this was the reason why he'd barely seen Larson. McGill was taking extreme measures to make sure Larson knew where he belonged, and it certainly wasn't with the Ducks.

"I'm a Hawk," Larson told him, plain and simple. "Got to start acting like one sometime, right? You of all people should know."

And Adam did. He knew what it felt like to be the outsider of the team, when they were all against you. "I'm sorry, man."

"Yeah," Larson stood up again, stretching as if he had no care in the world. Adam knew better. He knew this was hard on his friend; he'd been close to certain Ducks. Much like Adam had been close to Scooter before he'd rejoined his team. Larson smiled, "I'll see you later, Adam. Tell Gaffney I'm sorry, ok?"

They both knew they wouldn't see each other later. At least not for a while.

Despite this, Adam returned the smile. "Sure. See you, Billy."

Larson gave him a final nod before he headed back inside and left Adam sitting there, thinking.

_Why can't life be simple for once?_

* * *

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Adam instantly recognized the voice, despite not having heard it for almost three weeks. He rubbed his shoulder to ease the pain caused by the collision before he cast a smile her way. "It's okay," he told her, holding on to his hockey bag. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Me either," Linda laughed, her cheeks pink. She looked extremely cautious of him and, despite the fact she wasn't his best friend's girl anymore, he couldn't help but take pity on her. "How are you?" he enquired politely, knowing he was already late to practice but unable to leave her there. Despite the fact his day had been incredibly long already, he wasn't about to be rude.

"I'm fine," Linda hesitated to answer, taking her time. "I've been busy."

"That's good," Adam was sure this was the most uncomfortable conversation he ever had. And that included the horrible date he'd gone on.

Linda seemed to agree. "God," she laughed, "This is awkward. I'm pretty sure we used to get along, didn't we?"

Adam couldn't help but crack a smile, "Yeah, we did." He hesitated for a brief moment. "Look, I know we weren't exactly close, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm here." Despite the fact he was about three weeks late, his offer was genuine. He knew Charlie wouldn't be happy about it, but Linda had been nothing but nice to him, and Charlie had never given any details as to why the two of them had broken up in the first place.

Linda caught him off guard by suddenly throwing her arms around him in a quick hug. She pulled back before he could even react and smiled up at him, thankful. "Thank you, Adam. That means a lot."

Adam shrugged. "It's no problem. I'm sure Julie or Connie would—"

"Adam, are you coming?"

He tensed, before he turned to the side where he caught sight of Charlie, staring at them with an unreadable expression.

"Uh, yeah," Adam couldn't help but wince inwardly. "Bye, Linda."

"Bye," she whispered, her eyes on Charlie. Charlie didn't seem to notice, his eyes on Banks.

Adam knew he was in a shit load of trouble.

_Today just keeps getting better and better._


	19. no curtain call

**AN:** Hello! It's been a while, but as promised (uh, about two weeks ago), here's another chapter.

To **Jnwrx1**, first, thanks for the review! I think our opinion on Scooter is quite different. While I think he's a good guy with a lot of potential, I don't think he's quite as 'calm, cool, collected' as you make him out to be. He had no problem mocking his teammate (Cole), he chased Charlie/Russ/Fulton down like the rest of his team, he participated in the Varsity prank, he fought the Ducks in the Ducks/Varsity match; basically, the only time we saw him as a decent guy was when he talked to Julie. And keep in mind, this was the girl he was trying to impress. Add this to the fact that there's quite some tension between the Ducks/Varsity/Hawks going on (that will be explored upon later) and you have the reason Scooter did what he did. Hope this cleared it up for you!

To **BBGROOVE**, thank you! I'm glad you think that it's getting better every time. I'm also glad you understand Larson's reasoning. I feel bad for the guy; he's got 99 problems and McGill's just one, lol. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

To **LanceIsHot**, thank you for the review! I'm glad you like it. Things are about to get a whole lot worse, and I'm not just talking about Charlie's dad. He's not in this chapter, but he'll definitely make another appearance in the next one (finally)! And neither Larson or Scooter are bad guys, really! Tension is high with all three teams, as McGill and Riley want to get rid of the Ducks and Larson and Scooter are caught in the middle. I hope you like this next chapter!

To **Javaluver**, thank you! Here's another chapter, so I hope you're happy. I love Adam's concern for Charlie too. Those two, I think they've got a great friendship. Now they just need to realize their bond goes deeper than that! And I agree, Adam hasn't had it easy in the films. Or in this fic, for that matter. Being Charlie's best friend comes with a price, lol!

Thanks again for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_19. no curtain call_

_

* * *

_

"Charlie."

He wouldn't listen, of course he wouldn't. Adam pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to keep up with Charlie's long strides, the captain seemingly in a hurry to get to practice. He watched Charlie's knuckles turn white as he clenched a fist around the strap of his hockey bag, and Banks wondered how long it would take for him to snap.

"_Charlie_," Adam tried, again. No matter how aggravated, he didn't want to back down. But Charlie still didn't answer, and the way his jaw was set made Adam realize he wasn't about to, either.

Just as he was about to reach out and grab Charlie by his shoulder to make him listen, he noticed they were close to the locker room. He really didn't want to make a scene with the others there. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat as he told himself he'd sort this out later, when Charlie had cooled off.

"I found Adam," Charlie's cool voice almost startled him; until he realized Conway was talking to the rest of his teammates instead of him. Banks smiled softly as his team greeted him enthusiastically, not wanting to alert them something was up.

"Hey, Banksie," Guy greeted him with a clap on his shoulder, "Where were you?" Adam looked past his head in what he knew to be a futile attempt to catch Charlie's eye, before he shook his head and turned back to his teammate.

"I'll tell you later."

* * *

"Hi, Adam." Somewhat startled to see Connie as he headed out the locker room, Adam flinched when she took his arm and linked it with her own. His shoulder hurt like hell from the collision with Charlie during what Adam guessed was supposed to be _some _sort of scrimmage. It had felt more like some kind of battle field, if you asked him. He'd taken over an hour to soothe the pain by taking a hot shower.

"Careful," he murmured, smiling wearily as she immediately eased her grip. He had a vague idea she knew something was up, and wasn't too surprised when she finally turned to him, sympathy in her dark eyes.

"Charlie hit you pretty hard, didn't he?"

Adam knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this, not even if he lied. "Yeah," he tried to lighten the mood, "I'm sure he didn't mean to."

"It's Charlie," Connie pointed out to him, and she did some sort of half eye-roll, "He never means it. He does things in the heat of the moment and then he has a moment of clarity and backpedals." Adam had to agree on this; Connie definitely knew what she was talking about. As they continued to walk down the hall, he wondered whether Charlie had ever done something to wrong her, but before he could ask, Connie piped up, "What happened?"

"I talked to Linda," Adam started, watching Connie tilt her head out of the corner of his eyes, "I told her if she needed someone to talk to, she could talk to me. And Charlie happened to see us the moment she decides to hug me."

Connie wrinkled her nose, "He's angry with you over a _hug_?"

Adam couldn't help but shrug before he winced as he remembered his bad shoulder. He was going to feel that in the morning. "I don't understand," Connie suddenly said, and he realized she'd come to an abrupt halt. He slowed down too and watched her, bemused. Upon seeing his look, Connie explained, "It's just, I was there when Guy told Charlie that Dwayne had been paired up with Linda for some kind of project. He didn't even react, he said it was cool."

Adam resisted the urge to roll his shoulders into another shrug this time. "I don't think he saw Linda hug Dwayne."

Connie smiled timidly as she gently elbowed him into his side, "I know, but he never seems that bothered anymore when we mention her, not like before. I just think it's strange he reacted like that."

"Charlie _is_ strange," Adam teased, but now that he thought about it, it was odd. He'd never breached the subject with Charlie because he knew it was a sensitive matter. The first couple of days, Charlie acted as if he didn't care about the break up (hence the horrible double date they'd gone on). About a week later, he got angry with whoever brought Linda up (as both Julie and Connie had learned the hard way; Charlie had shot them a look so cold it could've sunk the Titanic when they'd uttered Linda's name). But by now, Adam had almost forgotten the pair had broken up, until he'd walked into Linda, because Charlie never mentioned her anymore. He figured it was just because their team captain had enough on his plate to worry about his ex-girlfriend.

"Well," Connie raised her wrist to check her watch, and Adam smiled as he caught a glimpse of the bracelet Guy had given her on her birthday. "I have to check up on Jules. She went to talk to Scooter." She reached out to him with her arms and waggled her fingers somewhat childishly to indicate she wanted a hug. Adam grinned and complied as he pulled her into an embrace with his good arm. "Don't mind Charlie, ok? He'll come to." Connie whispered into his ear, giving him an extra squeeze as they parted. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Adam."

"Bye, Connie." Adam watched her go until she was out of sight and smiled. Leave it up to Connie to make him feel better with something as simple as a hug.

* * *

"Portman, are you ok?"

Adam mocked his worry as he opened the door that led into his shared dorm with Portman. Usually around this time, music would blast all throughout the room. Despite the fact Banks had requested Dean to move to Fulton's room whenever he felt the urge to damage his ears, Portman had actually never listened. _First time for everything,_ Adam hoped. He smiled and waited for Portman to make some kind of wise crack, when he froze in his tracks as he noticed the person in his room was not his roommate.

"Charlie," Banks blinked, not having been expecting him. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't surprised.

Charlie looked wary of him, "Hey."

"And it speaks," Adam couldn't leave the sarcasm out of his tone. He closed the door and turned back in time to see Charlie's lips twitch; whether it was to smile, he wasn't sure.

"Yeah," Charlie stood up now, hands in his pockets. He seemed to be fighting some kind of inner battle with himself, and Adam watched patiently for him to make up his mind and say what he wanted to.

"Do you like her?" And Charlie had cracked.

Adam did not hesitate, "No." He dropped his hockey bag onto the floor. "Do you?"

Charlie looked bemused at the question; as if he knew the answer to that but didn't want to say. "I don't think so. Not anymore," he answered, after a while. He sat back on the bed, resting his arms on his knees. "Do you think it's too soon?"

The way he said it made Adam think of a kid who'd stolen a cookie, and he knew what Charlie was really asking of him: _does this make me a bad person_? Of course Charlie would worry whether it was okay not to like someone anymore. He shook his head, "Of course not."

Charlie made some sort of attempt to crack a smile but it turned into a grimace. Adam cocked an eyebrow, taking a few steps forward before he noticed there was a large bruise forming on the left side of Charlie's cheekbone. He instantly took Charlie's chin into his hand and tilted his head to the side to get a closer look, gently touching the dark bruise. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Careful!" Charlie hissed, and Adam couldn't help but think back to his conversation with Connie, when he'd told her the same thing. He pursed his lips and Charlie, upon seeing this, groaned. "It's _nothing_."

Adam gave him the most disbelieving look he could muster. Charlie gritted his teeth, "I ran into a door."

"Are you serious?" Adam wasn't sure whether to laugh or wonder what was wrong with him.

"I was looking for you. I thought you'd be with Jules, but you weren't. She asked me why I was looking for you, so I told her." Charlie paused, averting his eyes as he mumbled something incoherently.

"Excuse me?"

"_I said_," Charlie managed to ground out, "'And she slammed the door in my face'."

Adam snorted and hid his laugh with a cough. "Shut up," Charlie scoffed, but he laughed too. Banks shook his head, smiling as he let go of his friend. "I'll get some ice," he offered, despite the fact he'd meant to use it for his own shoulder. Charlie smiled gratefully and sat back on the bed, looking more at ease now. He also looked a bit ridiculous, with one side of his face purple, but Adam decided to keep that to himself.

Charlie eyed his friend as he took out an icepack and wrapped it in a towel, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Adam replied without much thought. He wondered how many more of those were to come this year. No matter how many times Conway wronged him; he knew he'd always accept his apology. For now, anyway. Julie would probably call him a masochist. He turned back to Charlie and crouched down in front of him, grabbing him by the chin again. "Turn your head," he instructed, and, when Charlie did, placed the icepack on his cheek bone. Charlie hissed and flinched away from the sudden cold, but eventually relaxed.

After a while, Charlie's lips softened into a smile, "Thanks."

"I'll be sure to thank Jules for _knocking _some sense into you." Adam teased, to which Charlie groaned, "God, Cake-Eater, you just ruined a perfect good moment by turning into Averman."

"Oh, we were having a moment?" Adam asked, trying not to grin.

Charlie nodded to confirm, smirking. "Uh-huh. Keep up, Banksie."

"Sorry, I wasn't aware," Banks shook his head at him, amused. Charlie shifted on the bed and Adam was suddenly very conscious of how they were barely sitting a few inches apart. The closeness was distracting; Charlie radiated heat, even if the ice felt cool against his palm. Yet, despite this, it felt comfortable. Feeling a bit stupid, he realized Charlie could probably hold the icepack himself and didn't need him to do so.

"Here," he told him, easing his pressure on the icepack to indicate Charlie should take over. Charlie looked at him in wonder before he shrugged and obliged, his fingers brushing over Adam's quickly as Banks took his hand away. The sensation of Charlie's warm hand over his cold palm was odd and left his hand feeling tingly.

_Wow, Adam_, he chided himself. _A little too girly_. Tingly? What was he on?

"What?" Charlie noticed his expression change.

"Nothing." Adam was quick to shake his head clear of any thoughts.

Charlie didn't seem to buy it. "You're not still angry with me, are you?"

Adam couldn't help but smile at that, "No, Charlie."

"Good!" Charlie beamed as he took Adam's good shoulder with his free hand and shook him slightly. He then surprised Adam by leaning in so close their foreheads were almost touching. Charlie pressed his lips in a thin line, serious, "Because I think you're great."

Adam flicked his forehead in reply, "I think you hit your head too hard."

"Probably," Charlie shrugged, unbothered. "But it's true." The way he smiled was almost infectious, and Adam could feel the corners of his mouth turn up involuntarily. Charlie never ceased to surprise, if not amaze him.

Suddenly the door slammed open with a loud _bang_ and Adam jerked forward, startled. His forehead collided with that of Charlie's and both boys immediately groaned in pain upon impact. "We have to stop doing that," Charlie whined as he clutched his head, and Adam wanted to laugh, but he felt too dizzy.

"Or not sit so close," Guy laughed at the scene before him.

"Funny," Charlie commented dryly as he discarded the icepack. Guy whistled at the sight of his bruise. "Nice left hook you've got there, Banks."

Adam held up his hands, "Wasn't me."

Guy raised an eyebrow, but shook his head. "You can tell me later," he told them, jabbing a thumb to the door. "I've been looking for you for ages. Coach needs us."

"This late?" Charlie asked, as Adam blinked, "Why? Practice finished two hours ago." Banks, ever the smart one.

Guy shrugged. "I don't know, but he wants to see us."

Something in his guts told Adam this wasn't going to end well.

* * *

"Hi, kids," Dean Buckley looked almost nervous to be there; the huge smile on his face seemed out of place. He rubbed his hands together as he regarded the already weary Ducks. "As you know, due to the increased popularity of your sport, and the fact our school continues to grow daily, we took on another team."

"_Cake-eaters_," Russ quickly coughed behind his hand, plainly saying what they all knew: the Hawks had bought their way in. Adam rolled his eyes as the boy with the knuckle puck shot him an apologetic grin, while Dwayne elbowed him in the side to shut him up. Orion didn't look too pleased either. Buckley pretended to ignore the commotion as he beamed, "And it's been a real success. Like the Ducks, they have shown to be dedicated. Hard workers. Good players—"

"Get to the point," Orion interrupted, and the Ducks muttered their agreements. No one wanted to hear about the Hawks or their fine attributes.

"Well," Dean continued, clearing his throat rather loudly. "As you might know, all of our Varsity players are graduating this year." Adam could see Charlie exchange a grin with Fulton at this.

"And then we'll be the Varsity team, right?" Goldberg asked, and the locker room was filled with excited murmurs.

"Yes," the man answered, and Connie bumped her hip against Julie's, who laughed in return. But Buckley wasn't done, "And no."

"What?" Most Ducks chorused. Coach Orion folded his arms, his face stern as if he knew where this was going.

"Your team will be merged with that of Junior Varsity, or, as you know them, the Hawks." Dean looked around the room for any sign of recognition, but the entire team had been stunned into silence.

"But," Guy finally found his voice as he spoke out their concern, "There'll be too many players."

"Exactly," The false cheeriness unnerved Adam, who had an inkling of what was about to happen. Dean continued, "And that's why we'll be looking for the best players to join Varsity. Some of you already have a sure spot," Adam lowered his gaze to the floor when Buckley's eyes flickered to him, "But the rest will need to step it up to be considered."

The Ducks did not know what to say. Orion shook his head as he watched the kids try to process the information.

"What'll happen to those who don't make it?" Julie asked, her voice unusually quiet.

"You will continue to be able to study here at Eden Hall," _Thanks to Bombay_, Adam couldn't help but think. After last year, he didn't think Eden Hall would risk another confrontation with their former coach. "But you will not be able to play unless Varsity needs you to. Reserves, if you will."

Adam dared to take a glance at Charlie, whose face was completely impassive. He barely heard Dean say, _"Well, kids, thanks for your time," _and didn't even see him leave, too busy trying to get a read on their team captain. Charlie's expression did not change.

"Coach, can he do this?" Fulton asked, as they all turned to their coach.

"I'm afraid so," Orion looked grave, "But I'll talk to Gordon. You kids get some rest."

"But coach—" the entire team began to argue, but Orion held up a hand, stern.

"_Go_."

* * *

Adam wasn't sure how they all ended up back in Goldberg's room, but it was still as small as he remembered. There was a severe lack of space, but, at the moment, this wasn't on anyone's mind.

"Now I know how Banksie felt," Guy commented, one arm wound tight around Connie, who sat on his lap. "Not being able to play with the Ducks, not being able to play with_ all_ of you, it's –" he paused mid-sentence, unable to finish. Everyone knew what he meant, however. Guy turned his head to the boy sat next to him, eyes apologetic for even bringing it up. Adam smiled timidly, telling him not to worry.

"How about not being to play _at all_?" Russ commented darkly. "I don't know about y'all, but I came here to play."

"You're a great player, Russ," Julie said, wanting to soothe him, eliciting murmurs of agreements from the room. She was sat on Adam's other side, one leg splayed over Charlie's lap to create more room. Russ smiled at her when she leaned over to squeeze his shoulder. The room fell into silence and Adam took the opportunity to look over Julie's head at Charlie; he got a clear view of his bruise, but other than that, Charlie kept his gaze firmly on the wall opposite him. Adam knew he was worried about his team.

"Well," Goldberg broke the silence. "It's not like we were going to stay together forever, right? Play together until we're forty?"

"That'd be kind of sad," Averman couldn't help but say. He ducked just in time for Connie's shoe to fly by his head.

"And it's not like we'll stop being friends," Dwayne eyed the room worriedly, "Right?"

Again, the Ducks nodded their agreements as Connie looked at them defiantly, "And we'll be there for whoever does make the team." The way she said it, there was no room for arguments. Guy chuckled as he kissed the side of her head.

"And we all know who that'll be," Portman grinned, and Adam suddenly felt twelve different set of eyes on him. He groaned as the team laughed amongst themselves.

"I think it'll be Guy," he said, to which Guy rolled his eyes and replied, "And I think it'll be Connie."

"Julie, of course," Connie beamed at her best friend as she continued the game.

Julie's smile was as wide as her friend's before she turned to the quiet boy next to her, "Charlie."

Unlike those before him, Charlie did not say another name; instead, he snorted in disbelief. Julie gently elbowed him in his side, "Come on, Charlie, cheer up. You'll make Varsity with ease."

"I'm not as talented as Banksie or Guy, Jules." Charlie seemed so sure of this, it made Adam want to hit him.

"Yes, you are. And you're the heart of the team, Charlie." Ken was quick to tell him, "You motivate us to play."

Charlie smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I don't think that'll matter on a different team, Kenny."

As everyone fell quiet again, Luis tried to stay positive. "We still have time. It's not even Christmas yet."

"Yeah," Portman shifted in his seat as he looked around the room, "I don't know about you, but I'm not done yet." He grinned as he and Fulton knocked their fists together. The room began to bustle with energy, murmurs and mutters of excitement. Even Charlie laughed when Julie reached over to mess his hair up, before he caught Adam's eye with a grin.

"Quack," Guy started, and the team exchanged looks and shared smiles before they all joined in.

"_Quack, quack, quack, quack_!"

It would be alright.

* * *

A quick **AN:** if anyone's confused about the whole Varsity thing, I'm sorry. I actually have no idea what happens with Varsity when a school has two JV teams, but this was an idea I had from the start and I wanted to work it in somehow. Thanks for reading! Please review.


	20. suddenly i see

**AN: **Hi, everyone! It's 3am and I should be asleep by now, but I really wanted to put this chapter up. I'm going to make this quick, but don't think I don't appreciate all of the reviews!

To **LanceIsHot**, thank you! And I'm glad it made sense, I was hoping it wouldn't confuse anyone. Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it!  
To **Javaluver**, I love how everyone liked the icepack dialogue. I think it's one of my favorite so far. Adam is not really aware of what he feels yet, but this is the chapter where I promised _something_ would happen, so who knows. And I'm so glad you love the way I write Guy. Like I've said before, I love the boy. There is a lot more I'd like to say, but I haven't got the time, so I'll do that next time! Thank you for the review, it means so much!  
To **ellie**, I like the way you caught that Charlie only calls Adam by name when he's angry/upset or thinks Adam is. And I think it's funny that some people believe Adam might hate the name Banksie because of Riley, but truth is, in both the book and movie, Charlie already called him Banksie way before Riley did. In the movie, right before they all entered Eden Hall on their first day of school, Charlie tells everyone to get inside and calls Adam 'Banksie'. Later on, Guy also says, 'Banksie says it's cool', so I fully believe the nickname is a Duck's thing. I'm glad you liked it!  
To **BBGROOVE**, you're totally an awesome reviewer! I love every review I get, so yours is no exception! I love how everyone love Julie and Connie, I think they're great. Thank you for reading!  
To **starielle**, you totally get what's going on. They were definitely flirting without even realizing it. And I love Julie and Connie taking care of them too. I really see the Ducks as such a tight unit. I'm glad you liked it, and think I capture it well! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Thank you so much for reviewing, you guys! I hope you like this next chapter.

* * *

**Center Of Attention**  
_20. suddenly i see  
_

_

* * *

_

Minnesota's mall was crowded. It was Saturday, so of course it would be busy, but Charlie had no idea it would be this insane when Averman suggested they'd hang out at the mall for the day. Even so, he was smiling. All of the Ducks were together; even Peter and Karp. Jesse was there too, making fun of the hat Guy had decided to wear. He had to admit it looked like a carbon copy of the one he used to wear in peewees. Despite the fact the team had been under a lot of pressure lately, they were still close. Maybe even more so than ever. For this, Charlie was grateful.

"Of course the date didn't go well," Julie was saying. Charlie resisted the urge to cover his ears and yell _'la la la' _like a kid. He knew what they were talking about, as they'd been talking about it for the past hour; the date he'd gone on the day before. After the horrid double date with Banksie he didn't think Emma, the girl he'd gone out with that day, would've wanted to see him again. Fortunately, or so he guessed, he'd been wrong. Unfortunately, even without Adam, it hadn't exactly been what he'd hoped for.

"Of course not," Connie agreed vehemently, "She tried to feed him peanuts!"

"She didn't know I was allergic, Cons," Charlie tried to defend his date.

"Yes, she did," Adam paused his conversation with Jesse as he listened in, "You told her after she asked whether you liked M&M's."

"She never asked me—oh," Charlie realized he was talking about their double date and stared at him blankly, before he turned to Guy. "And yet he couldn't remember the name Karen."

"Adam cares enough not to kill you with peanuts!" Connie said, clearly not over the peanut thing.

Russ started making kissy noises at that.

As the team chuckled, Charlie shoved Russ playfully, but he was glad the conversation had strayed from its topic. Despite the fact Emma was a sweet girl, he'd felt nothing for her, and she'd noticed. Their date had been awkward to the point they had even cut it short. He'd told Guy about it as soon as he'd settled back in their shared dorm and, by morning, the entire team knew. Germaine never could keep anything from his girlfriend.

"I think you're trying too hard, Charlie," Julie told him. Charlie watched as she turned, walking backwards into the crowd so she could face him. He raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue, "Going out with someone you hardly know. Why not date someone closer to you? For all you know, the love of your life could be right in front of you." Her eyes flickered, but before he could follow her trail, her steady gaze was back on him.

Charlie eyed her, warily. "Jules, I like you, but—"

"_Not _me, stupid!" Julie rolled her eyes. "I have a boyfriend, thank you very much."

"Good," he told her with a grin. "But the only girls I'm close to are you and Con. I guess you could count Tammy, but she's too far away. Besides, the three of you are more my sisters than anything." He shrugged, "Nice try, though."

Julie gave him a look he couldn't quite decipher. He placed his hands on her shoulders, steering her into the crowd. "Don't worry; I don't think I'm quite cut out for this whole dating thing, anyway." Actually, he was sure of it. "I think I'm going to focus on hockey for a while. It's working for Banksie, right?" He turned to Adam for confirmation.

"Leave me out of it," was all Adam had to say to that. As soon as Charlie shook his head at him and turned to talk to Connie however, he took Julie by her sleeve and pulled her towards him, making sure no one could hear them.

"What was that?" he asked, and she looked at him, not sure what he was talking about. "You looked at me," Adam pointed out, hesitating before he continued, "When you said Charlie should date someone closer to him."

"Did I?" Julie wasn't looking at him.

"Yeah," Adam told her awkwardly. He felt somewhat stupid, what if he was making the whole thing up? It was only when she turned to him with wide eyes that he realized he was right; she was up to something.

Julie smiled, but it looked different from her usual smiles, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Julie—" Adam paused when he realized Jesse was looking at them now, and he shot him a look that plainly said '_don't even think about it'_. He didn't know whether Jesse still suspected he had a thing for the goalie or not, but he certainly didn't want to give the impression that he did. As soon as his friend turned back to his conversation with Guy, he looked back at Julie. "Whatever you're doing, stop."

"What am I doing, Adam?" Julie's eyes were boring holes into him. It made him uncomfortable.

"I—" Again, he found himself unable to say a thing, but this time there was no Jesse to distract him. He simply didn't know what to say. "—Don't know," he finished after a while.

Julie tip-toed, leaning in close. "I think you do."

"What?" Great, now he was unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Think about it," Julie told him, before they heard Connie yell her name. "Look at this cute skirt!" Connie squealed as she came out of nowhere, and she made her way towards the two of them to grab her best friend's arm. "Come on, Jules!" Adam watched as Julie shot him a last look before she allowed her friend to drag her with. His head felt like it was filled with static; he couldn't think.

"Banksie," A familiar voice snapped him out of it, and he blinked when he realized Charlie was next to him. Charlie was looking at him with eyes of what Adam knew to be misplaced worry, "You ok?"

"Yeah," he attempted a smile. It worked, as Charlie's eyes cleared and brightened at once.

"You know, it must suck," Guy suddenly commented, thoughtful. The team turned to him, questioning. In retaliation, he pulled Connie into his side, holding her near to him. "To not have a girlfriend like Connie."

Portman groaned, "Great, Germaine's sprouting cheesy bullshit again." He ignored Guy's '_hey'_ and turned to Fulton, "Want to check out the music store?"

"Right behind you, bro," Fulton agreed, patting Guy on his shoulder before he followed his Bash Brother.

"It's not cheesy!" Guy sulked, much to Charlie's amusement. Connie kissed his cheek, "Of course not, baby."

After the departure of the Bash Brothers, the rest of the Ducks decided to go their separate ways too. After a while, the only ones left were Charlie, Adam, Jesse and Julie. Charlie wasn't sure where Guy and Connie had gone, but he figured they'd decided to find someplace private. He didn't mind much as he had no desire to watch them kiss again.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Julie's voice startled him out of his thoughts, and Charlie turned to see she'd knocked into someone.

"It's fine," a familiar voice stated. Charlie couldn't help but wince inwardly when he realized it was Larson. And he wasn't alone. _Out of all the malls in the entire world, _he thought. What were the Hawks doing here? There were only four of them; McGill, Larson, King and some guy he didn't quite recognize but assumed was with them, by the black, blue and white jacket he wore. Charlie watched as Julie ignored the arm Larson offered to help her back on her feet, her eyes shooting fire at the boy. He guessed her crush had vanished like snow before the sun as soon as Adam had told them Larson wasn't going to risk his neck by talking to them anymore.

Ok, so Adam hadn't exactly worded it like that, but it still came down to Larson abandoning them to save his own skin, didn't it? Despite this, he couldn't feel any anger towards the Hawk; unlike Julie.

A moment passed, and for a second, Charlie wondered whether they could walk away without any harm done.

That's when McGill opened his yap. "So, _Adam_," he said, and Charlie narrowed his eyes. McGill didn't notice, his eyes on Banks. "Why don't you join us?"

Adam looked as if he'd just heard a really bad joke, "Excuse me?"

"Well," McGill smirked, "You're going to have to ditch them sooner or later, why not now? I've seen the Ducks play—" he said their team's name with distaste, "—and you're the only good one they got."

"Any Duck is ten times better than you," Charlie spat. McGill's smirk only grew more infuriating, and had Adam not taken a hold of his shoulder, he probably would have lunged at the Hawk. Jesse didn't seem to be fairing any better.

"Thanks for the offer," Adam said, and Charlie grinned at his use of sarcasm, "But no."

McGill did not seem surprised, but the smirk did not leave him. He turned to Julie, "What about you, sweetie? You can cheer for us. Maybe take Moreau with you; I'd _love_ to see her in a short skirt."

In reply, Julie spat in his eye. Had Guy been there, he would have done a lot worse. But the smirk had instantly gone from McGill and he took a step forward; Jesse was quick to move in front of Julie, but before anything could happen, Larson had quickly taken a hold of his teammate's shoulder and shoved him backwards roughly. "McGill, let's _go_."

"_Larson_," McGill's voice was threatening as he glared, but his friend did not back down. Finally after what seemed like a century, McGill relented. Looking back at the Jesse, he sneered, before he motioned at the rest of his team and pushed his way past the Ducks, "Good luck trying to make Varsity," he told Charlie, who glared back at him, "_You'll_ need it." With another sneer, he left. His teammates were quick to follow him, and Larson offered them some sort of half-grin as he passed them. Jesse nodded to him in thanks, and Charlie watched as Adam smiled, but Julie merely watched him go.

"What does he know? I hate them," Julie was seething. "I'm going to find Connie!" Without another word, she stomped away from them. Before Charlie could even think to follow her, Jesse shook his head. "I'll go after her," he told them, grinning. "_Someone _has to save Guy."

Charlie stuck his hands into his pockets as he watched them go. Adam glanced at him, "Think we should go after them?"

He shook his head. "No. Angry Julie plus angry Connie equals run for your life." Adam smiled, but did not disagree. He was looking at something ahead of him, and as soon as the smile was replaced by a frown, Charlie was alerted. "What?" he asked, as he followed his line of sight, "Are the Hawks—" he came to an abrupt halt when he recognized the man in front of him. Someone who he hadn't seen or heard from in weeks, despite the fact he'd said he'd wanted to spend time with his son.

His father.

And he wasn't alone. George had his arm around a woman Charlie had never seen before. And they looked way too cozy to be related. Despite the fact his father's affairs was none of his business, he couldn't help but scowl. _Too busy with her to pick up the phone, huh, daddy?_

"Let's go," Charlie mumbled, not wanting his father to spot him. Adam looked at him, as if asking if he was sure, but before he could even think of an answer, he heard his name being called.

"Charlie!" His father called again when he didn't respond. To Charlie's dismay, he steered himself and the woman towards them. What had he done to deserve this? First, the Hawks, and then not even a minute later, it was daddy dearest.

He didn't bother to say hello as George smiled at him, "It's good to see you, Charlie. And…" the man's eyes were on Adam now, who took this as his cue to introduce himself, "I'm Adam."

"Banks, right?" George recognized him. "You're a great hockey player."

"Thank you," Adam answered, politely. He was clearly uncomfortable, and Charlie couldn't blame him. If he didn't know how to act around his father, he could only imagine how Adam felt.

"Charlie," George smiled back at his son as he brought the woman in his arms forward, "This is Susan," he paused, before he stared back at the woman. The adoration in his eyes was clear to see, and Charlie swallowed hard. He couldn't remember his father ever having looked at his mom like that. But George was not done, "My fiancé."

Charlie's stomach plummeted. He couldn't seem to find his voice; the one thing on his mind was, '_what?' _

"Hi," Susan looked almost shy as she extended her hand, obviously wanting to make a good impression. "It's nice to meet you, Charlie. George has told me so much about you. I can't believe I'm going to be a step-mom soon, it's crazy."

As soon as he heard the word 'mom', he broke out of his trance. Without any sort of humor, he laughed, disbelief in his eyes as he regarded the hand in front of him. "You're kidding me, right?" he said incredulously, to no one in particular. Charlie shook his head and took a step backwards, hands clenching into fists as he ignored the hurt that flashed on the woman's face. "Give me _a fucking break_," he yelled at the pair, stunning them into silence. With another shake of his head, he took another step away from them before he turned on his heel and stormed from the scene.

A moment passed in which Adam was sure George wanted to go after his son; whether to talk to him or ring his neck, he didn't know. But Charlie's father stayed rooted to the spot, red with anger and maybe embarrassment.

Adam bristled. How could the man think his son would welcome this stranger with open arms, when said father hadn't even called in two weeks? He wanted to say so, wanted to give this man a piece of his mind, but his friend was his main priority right now. "It was nice to meet you," he said instead, coolly. It was a lie, and the look in Charlie's father's eye clearly said he knew, but Adam wasn't fazed. No, the man certainly hadn't made a good first impression.

Without another word, he left to go after Charlie.

* * *

It hadn't taken him long to find Charlie, but Adam couldn't help but sigh in relief when he did. He'd walked into the first store that sold sports gear, and there Charlie was, sat on the floor in the aisle with hockey equipment. He was trying on some random skate Adam knew he'd probably plucked from somewhere without much thought. Not sure what to say, he watched Charlie grumble to himself as he couldn't get the skate on properly. Adam could clearly see it was two sizes too small.

"Charlie," he finally said, wanting to do _something._

"I'm fine," Charlie spoke, not quite looking at him. "These skates are horrible," he continued, taking the skate off his foot and tossing it away from him. He obviously didn't care whether he damaged it or not. "Hans would throw a fit if he was still alive."

Adam didn't reply as he crouched down to Charlie's level. Charlie rested his arms on his bended knees as he watched Adam, his anger clear in his green eyes. No words were spoken, until Adam suddenly offered him a hand. "Let's visit Jan," he suggested out of nowhere. Charlie stared at him in wonder, but looked intrigued by the idea. "But what about the others?"

"I'll call Jesse on the way," Banks shrugged. Charlie began to smile slowly as he took the hand stretched out to him. Adam smiled back at him before he rose to his feet, pulling Charlie upright.

"Thanks," Charlie mumbled, and he stared at their joint hands before he suddenly pulled Banks closer and hugged him tight. Adam tensed, realizing Charlie was more shook up than he'd realized. "No problem," he replied quietly, easing into the hug. Charlie pulled back after a while, staring him right in the eye. Adam, startled by the intensity in his eyes, took a step back involuntarily. Charlie didn't notice, smiling as he rubbed his nose. "Come on, Banksie." He pushed his friend in front of him, and Adam hesitated, but couldn't help but roll his eyes at his sudden mood swing.

Charlie Conway was one weird guy.

* * *

They found themselves at what used to be Hans' home an hour later, as Jan bustled around to make them some hot cocoa. The reason Adam had asked Charlie to visit Jan was because he knew Charlie was most at home in Hans' shop. Jan had taken over after his brother passed away, and he loved it when the Ducks visited him. Adam smiled in thanks as Jan gave him a warm mug, and the three of them sat in front of the fireplace as Charlie chatted away.

Charlie never mentioned his dad, Adam was aware of it. But he couldn't bring himself to worry about that when Charlie smiled the way he did. Genuine, warm, because he loved Jan like a grandfather. He loved that smile.

Adam's eyes quickly flickered back to the mug in his hands. He loved Charlie's what now?

_Think about it,_ Julie's voice rang in his ears. _Think about it._

Think about what? He still had no idea what Julie had been on about. He still didn't know why she'd been looking at him like that.

But a small part of him did. And that's what scared him.

He looked up from his drink and caught Charlie's eye in the process. Charlie smiled at him. Adam's stomach twisted funnily.

_You care about him a lot. _Julie's eyes boring into him. _Think about it._

And that's when he realized it.

_Shit.  
_


End file.
